Gateways: First Coming
by xdreamernumbuhfour
Summary: Kim has always had a love for anime, but she never wanted to be in one! Now she's roaming around the ocean being chased by a bounty hunter and trying to rediscover her humanity... if she still has any!
1. Chases and Zombies

**Gateways: First Coming**

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><p><strong>Chapter One ::: Chases and Zombies :::<strong>  
><strong>Aka ::: Pirate Hunted Zoro Enters :::<strong>

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><p><strong>Alchemy<strong>. The science of understanding the structure of matter, breaking it down, then reconstructing it into something else. It can even make gold from lead. But alchemy is a science. It must follow the natural laws. To create, something of equal value must be lost. This is the principle of equivalent exchange. However, some natural laws vary in different worlds.

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><p>Have you ever seen one of those overrated horror movies where someone is being chased by the psycho killer who wants to chop them up into tiny bits? Then, when they run down an alley way trying to get away only to find it's a dead end, you laughed at them saying you'd never do that? After all, alleys are killing grounds in those movies, the person always gets caught there. Totally cliche, right?<p>

Well, think of me as that stupid victim who went down the alley. Shows how smart I am. Here I was, running from this creepy **Axel** wannabe wearing a cloak and I just have to go and run down an alley.

My breath came in pants as I slammed into the wall, unable to stop moving, and my legs finally gave out beneath me. I guess running three blocks without stopping will do that to a person. I looked up at the man, my amber eyes dilated with adrenaline and fear. I attempted to ask who he was, what he wanted, but coughed violently instead.

_"You're **Kimiya Leonore**."_ the man said emotionlessly. The way he said it was a mixture between a statement and a question, though he seemed certain of who I was. And, to be honest, he _was_ right. It kind of freaked me out a little. I mean, who wouldn't when a perfect stranger chased you through town and knew your name. The guy got closer and closer, until he was practically on top of me. "You are unaware of the destiny set out for you. If I were to allow you to live any longer, if would only cause hate and destruction for the universe." Perfect. I was about to be killed by a **Kingdom Hearts** cosplayer with an attitude like **FMA's Scar**. My name meant alchemy, didn't mean I was an alchemist!

I tried in vain to move back, away from him, but he just grabbed the hood of my jacket, holding me in place. Most of the time I loved my jacket. It was black, with a hood like **Kiba's**, and had red half diamonds on the bottom with full ones going around the elbows. The fur inside the hood was a snowy white, which showed just how much I cared about it; there wasn't a stain to be found.

The guy yanked me up close to his face, making me realize just how young he really was. He was, if not a year or two older, the same age as me. My face turned red, well, brighter than before. It was already flushed due to my sprint and being close to a guy's face didn't really help any. However, any thoughts I might've had quickly turned from admiration his good looks to fear of how he was going to kill me. His free hand reached up and he put it on my forehead, brushing my short, dark brown hair out of the way. His skin was cool against mine, making it seem like he hadn't just run a mile.

"Good-bye, Kimiya Leonore." He said, and his hand began to glow crimson. I screamed as pain shot through my skull, making me thrash madly. The guy, who I later decided to call **Akako**, merely pushed me to the ground, never removing his hand as he pinned me down. On instinct, my hand shot up to try and pull his away. The moment they made contact, a white light shot out, this time from my own hand, which was pretty surprising. Akako, judging by his expression, obviously hadn't been expecting that and let go of my jacket to try and move my hand. My eyes, watering from pain and the bright light, squeezed shut as the lights began to brighten and mix, pulsing in time with my rapid heartbeat.

I opened my mouth and screamed as the world faded.

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><p><em>"Am I dead?"<em> I wondered, staring around at the white space around me. I scratched my head in confusion, shrugging as I began to walk around. Akako was no where to be seen and, according to my watch, I had been standing here for roughly twenty minutes with no murder attempts. So, I thought it would be alright to try and figure out where I was.

It certainly wasn't the alley. No dirty ground, no overflowing dumpsters and trashcans, not mice rummaging around the corners. In fact, there was . . . _nothing_. If you've ever seen **Davy Jones Locker** from **PotC: At World's End**, you'd think of it, only with a white sky and no **Black Pearl** to pull. I guess a more accurate description would be of the **Gate** from **FMA**. Except there was no **Truth** or **Gate**, whichever you prefer to call it.

"What is that?" I blinked at the little dot in the distance and took a step towards it. Suddenly, there was a bang, and it was less than a foot away from me.

Startled, I tripped backwards, staring at it before noticing Akako laying at the base, breathing lightly in sleep. My head snapped towards the gate as it began to open slowly. I shuddered as it opened all the way, and a two great red eyes looked down on me, accompanied by a evilly grinning mouth. There was nothing but the eyes and the mouth, which was full of razor sharp teeth that were as big as I was. It was like seeing the **Nine-Tails** in **Naruto's** mind. A rank smell floated out, making me gag and cover my mouth with my sleeve.

_"Your payment is sufficient,"_ a voice rumbled. The mouth didn't move, but I was sure that the creature inside the **Gate** had spoken, because its eyes glimmered with malice. A dozen rotting hands emerged from the bottom of the gateway, latching onto Akako like **Inferi** and dragging him inside to the creature. My eyes went, if possible, wider and I scrambled towards the red head, hand out stretched in hopes of reaching him.

"Wait!" I wasn't about to let that _thing_ take a life, even if the person it belonged to had tried to kill me not an hour ago. A life was a life, and it would not be lost because of me!

But, despite my pleas to stop and my efforts to grab hold of Akako, the hands pulled him inside and the Gate shut with a resounding boom. I leaned against the stone, eyes still so wide I doubted they'd ever return to normal. I hit the gate half-heartedly in a weak attempt to get it to open back up and give the red headed boy back.

"Dammit," I whispered, squeezing my eyes shut. His expression, the one of surprise, was burned into my mind. "What now?" Was I going to die here? Alone? Was this **Hell**? I had never been particularly religious, but the idea of burning for all eternity (or in this case, sitting in a white space consumed by guilt) didn't really appeal to me. I shuddered at the image of myself strapped to a pike, set aflame by a never ending inferno. I shook my head to clear it of those thoughts. I looked down and sighed. Any thing was better than just sitting here.

As I sat there and just stared at the ground my eyes began to take notice of a small splotch of blue by my knee. I scratched at it lightly with my fingernail and it began to grow. Before soon, I had began clawing at the ground, the splotch of blue increasing with every movement of my hand. I stopped when I realized it was a picture. I leaned down and squinted at the small figures. I was reminded of the doll houses I used to play with as a little kid. I noticed one thing in particular.

Set in a courtyard, a man was tied to a cross, covered in dirt and matted with dry and fresh blood. He had a black bandanna tied around his head, which was the same color as his rather tight looking pants, which were tucked into his black boots. His white shirt had great splotches of crimson all over it, probably from him. He wore a bright green haramaki around his waist and three golden earrings dangled from his left ear.

As soon as I finished examining him, I noticed the two boys on the wall. There was one with a straw hat, jean shorts, and a red vest with sandals. His companion wore a shite shirt with blue stripes on the short sleeves and black pants with black shoes. Then, I realized what I was seeing. **Chapter three** of **One Piece**, where **Luffy** and **Koby** went to **Shells City** in search of **Zoro**, the man who was tied up. As I watched closely, I realized that they were moving and that, if I listened hard enough, I could hear what they were saying.

_"So he's Zoro, huh. . .?"_ Luffy said, examining his like I had done just seconds ago. "Looks to me those ropes are pretty easy to break." I frowned as Luffy's words seemed to get louder as every second passed by. Then, I gave up trying to listen to their conversation as the ground began to shake beneath me. I shrieked and tried to grab onto the Gate, but found nothing but smooth stone. My hands scrabbled on it, trying to hold on as the ground gave way and I began to fall. Once more, instinct kicked in, and I began grabbing the air, trying to find something to save my life. I looked down and saw Luffy walking towards the restaurant, having fed Zoro the riceballs and on his way to tell **Rika** about the swordsman's thanks.

The ground drew near before I knew it, and Zoro's head snapped up just in time to see me hit the ground, my ribs, spine, and legs breaking with sickening crunches.

I gotta stop running my mouth. When I said anything, I didn't mean _anything_!

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><p>Dying is overrated, just like those cheap horror movies. There's always a lot of speculation about it, which kinda makes the real thing, not what you would expect. I didn't see a white light or see my body as I floated away, no the way dying felt to me was agony. I could feel all of my broken bones, my ruptured organs, the bruises that were forming on my stomach. Well, they would form for long. Blood can't rush through a dead body if the heart doesn't pump. Soon, my body would freeze up in <em>rigor mortis<em>, and, if no one moved me, I would rot there in the courtyard.

Now that I think of it, if I'm dead, should I still be thinking about what would happen to me? I tried to move and succeeded with a twitch. This was odd considering the fact my spine was snapped, which should have paralyzed me. Then I realized, if I listened enough, ignoring the calls of Zoro trying to get help, I could hear a faint cracking. Soon the twitch I had made with my fingers turned into a flex as I clenched my fingers into a fist. It was like my body was putting itself back together. There was a particularly loud crunch as my spine righted itself, causing me to scream, which was muffled by the ground. I was surprised I hadn't choked on my blood yet, seeing as it was pooling around me like a crimson pond.

After a while, I could move my arms again and pushed myself up, shaking my head. I moved slowly, moving all my limbs as best I could to figure out what still worked. I raised my hand to check on my head and felt something squish beneath my fingers. Apparently, I was missing a piece of my skull. Extremely weirded out by this fact, I began to look around, eyes flickering to Zoro's white washed face. I spotted the missing piece of my head near his foot and attempted to stand up, wincing as my legs snapped back into place.

I guess I was in too much shock to really freak out over the fact I had just survived a fifty foot fall.

As soon as my legs finished righting themselves, I staggered over to Zoro, my amber eyes meeting his silver ones briefly. He looked extremely weirded out by the fact I had gotten up after 'dying' and walked over to him. I bent down to pick my skull up, giving Zoro a lovely view of my exposed brain. and wondered what I was going to do with it now that I had it.

As if it read my mind, the piece of skull stirred in my hand, then shot to its original place and fit itself back into place with a snap, kinda like the kind a phone makes when the back is put on. I made a noise in the back of my throat, gritting my teeth against the pain, and turned, walking away from Zoro and towards the gate. I almost made it when I collapsed from blood loss.

"Dammit," I said, voice muffled by the ground.

To be honest, I had no idea where I was going. I just wanted to get out of the courtyard before the fighting started.

With a sigh, I began to drag myself out using my arms. Behind me, Luffy had arrived and was blackmailing Zoro into joining his crew. As the rubber man began running to retrieve Zoro's swords, he stepped on me twice. Once as he was running in the direction he thought the base was and again when Zoro pointed out that it was the other way. It kinda made me wonder how Zoro knew the correct way, seeing as he is always getting lost, even when it isn't even physically possible.

"Bastard!" I sobbed dramatically, cursing whatever greater power that was getting some sick pleasure from putting me through this.

I laid there for a while, feeling my strength come back to me bit by bit. Eventually, I had enough energy to sit up and found Koby trying to untie Zoro. From my place by the gate, I could see the Marines drawing near.

A fight was about to start and I was in the middle of it all!


	2. A Unique Alchemy

**Gateways: First Coming  
><strong>

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><strong>Chapter Two ::: A Unique Alchemy :::<br>Aka ::: Pirate King and the Great Swordsman :::  
><strong>

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><p>"<em>Aaaaa!<em>" I rolled my eyes as Koby began screaming. While I had been watching the Marines get closer, the kid had been shot from the top of the base. "I've been shot! Bleeding! I'm bleeding! I'm gonna dieeee!"

"_Just shut up!_" I groaned, flopping backwards, then choked on a mixture of spit and blood that had made its way into my mouth.

"_. . . Are you alright?. . ._" Zoro asked eventually, looking down at the pinkette at his feet. "Run for your life. They're almost here. . ." He glanced over his shoulder as he spoke, looking past me towards the approaching men. I rolled over and pushed myself up before standing, yelping as my knees popped.

"Ah. . . Ah. . .!" Koby panted, laying on his back. "No!. . . I've. . . got to set you free as soon as possible. . .!"

"There is no need to worry about me. As long as I can stand this for a month, they'll set me free. Hurry and lea-"

"Do you really think the Marines would let you go?" I interrupted, walking over. "They'll execute you because you defied them. They have no tolerance for anyone who doesn't conform to their 'Justice'. A lot of Marines have no morals."

"She's right!" Koby shouted, flinching away from me. "They're gonna kill you in three days!"

"Nonsense!" Zoro shouted, refusing to believe our words. "That bastard promised me that if I could survive for a month, he'd set me free. . ."

"You're talking about the badly dressed blond, right?" I asked, crossing my arms. "He's not actually a Marine. He had you locked up in Morgan's name. It's technically his decision about what to do with you and he executes anyone who stands in his way of power." Koby nodded in agreement.

"He never intended to keep his promise!" he panted. "That's why Luffy-san punched him on your behalf! Because he was toying with you!" Zoro looked shocked.

"Wh. . .what did you just say?" he gaped.

"The navy will never let you two off! Please! After I set you free, please help rescue Luffy-san!" I began looking around for something sharp, intent on changing the storyline a bit. "I will not force you to become a pirate, however, he's my savior!"

". . ." Zoro just listened silently. I frowned. The sharpest thing I had on my was my silver Flamel symbol necklace, a thing I had gotten because of my love for FMA. I pulled it off and stared at it for a moment, then walked over to Zoro. He looked up at me, then turned back to to listen to the small pinkette. I used the bottom of the necklace, the part with the snakes tail and the edge of the cross, which was the sharpest part, and started cutting the ropes. I gotta say, it wasn't very easy or effective, but at least I was doing something. It would probably make me a criminal in this world, but by now, I was convinced that Akako had killed me in the alley and that this, the situation I was in right now, was my afterlife. At least it would be an adventurous one.

"Luffy-san is very strong! As long as you two join forces, you all will definitely be able to escape this town! Definitely!"

I dropped my necklace, swiftly stepping on it, as someone pressed the barrel of a gun in between my shoulder blades. I wasn't sure if I could survive a shotgun blast and wasn't too keen on finding out.

"_That's enough! The three of you who have betrayed lieutenant Morgan. . . DIE HERE!_"

Koby wailed silently as Zoro glared. I glanced over my shoulder at the marine behind me. He was a few years younger than me, with slightly lighter tan skin than Zoro and sharp violet eyes. His indigo colored hair was styled like Dark Mousy's, which gave me the impression that I was being held hostage by a master thief.

"_SURROUND THE BASE! DON'T LET THE GUY WITH THE STRAW HAT ESCAPE!_" Morgan roared as he walked up.

The Dark-look alike smirked at me, lips turning up in a grin. I got the feeling that, unlike the rest of Morgan's men, he enjoyed the way the corrupt captain ran things.

"I don't suppose saying I'm not with them would help me any, would it?" I asked hopefully, raising my eyebrows.

"_Not a bit._" the bluenette chuckled, sounding just like Vic.

"How interesting. . . ." Morgan said as he stood behind his men. "The four of you are planning to cause political upheaval?"

"Possibly," I said lightly. "I haven't decided if I'm going to be a pirate or avenger. I'm leaning towards pirate though." The Dark-alike grinned, but poked me with his gun to shut me up. Morgan glared at me before continuing.

"Roronoa Zoro. . . I've heard of your name from a long time ago, but do not underestimate me. Before my great strength, you're just garbage!"

"Weird looking garbage." I muttered and turned as the Dark-alike stepped back away from us, still grinning.

"READY!" my head snapped towards Morgan as the marines cocked their guns and aimed at the three of us. Koby bit back tears as he stared them down and Zoro shared the same alarmed look as I did. Was I really going to die a second time? I'm too young to go through this again! "FIRE!"

I squeezed my eyes shut and threw my arms up in front of my face, shaking. I didn't want to dieeee! Zoro and Koby and Zoro yelled in surprise as Luffy jumped in front of us, arms spread to take the bullets. However, the Dark-alike, who was just in front of me and therefore behind Zoro, fired as well. The bullet from his gun whizzed past my face and I shrieked. My arms fell to the sides as I stared at the Dark-alike with wide eyes. He chuckled at me, violet orbs sparkling mischievously.

"YOU!" Zoro shouted, looking at Luffy with a mixture of shock and horror.

"LUFFY-SAN!" Koby screamed tearfully.

"The Straw Hat boy. . ." Morgan said, eyes tightening angrily. The marines just stared at the rubber man in front of us.

Luffy curled in on himself before flinging his arms out and standing up straight, sending the bullets back at the Marines.

"_IT'S NO USE!_" he laughed. All the men screamed, including the Dark-alike, who dropped his gun. Apparently the tough guy thing was just an act put on to frighten me. It had worked at first, but now that I had him figured out, I was mad.

As Luffy laughed, I shouted indistinctly, lunging at the boy and knocking him to the ground. I dug my knuckles into the sides of his head, twisting them back and forth into a harsh double noogie.

"What the hell were you trying to do, brat!" I shouted, blocking out the conversation behind me as I straddled the younger boy. He wailed, trying to get away from me. "Not so tough now, are you! What's your name?"

"Dacio!" he cried, tears welling up in his eyes.

"Well then, _Dacio_," I said evilly. "Apologize dammit!"

"I'm sowy!"

"Good boy." I patted his cheek and climbed off him. "Now get up."

Dacio scrambled to his feet and began running back towards Morgan. I narrowed my eyes and grabbed the back of his uniform shirt, preventing him from going any further. He hadn't followed Morgan's orders correctly and he had lost a fight, with a wimpy girl. I didn't want the kid getting killed, after all, he was probably terrified to death of Morgan, despite my initial impression of him enjoying the captain's reign.

"You're not a Marine, are you?" I asked the boy, momentarily catching Luffy's as he attempted to untie Zoro's bonds. "You brought yourself into this like an idiot. I have no business in this courtyard, but I have no dream to live for. You're younger than me and obviously want to be a Marine, otherwise you wouldn't be out here trying to take me out in order to prove yourself."

"OHHHHHH!" the Marines shouted as they began running at us with swords drawn. My attention was still on Dacio.

"If you want to live, run away now!" I snapped, trying to put some sense into the kid's head.

"I wadda be a Marine!" the bluenette sobbed.

"Then fight me, no holding back. You're not strong enough to prove yourself against those two. Don't try to overestimate your abilities." I whispered in his ear, then let him go.

Wasting no time, Dacio lunged at me, swinging his fists wildly. As I dodged easily, I saw Zoro block the Marines. Dacio swung around, stumbling, and noticed as well. He paled, realizing just what I had prevented him from fighting. Taking advantage of his distraction, I punched him in the stomach and drove my knee into his face as he doubled over in pain, knocking him out. I caught him before he hit the ground and grunted as all his weight was put on me.

I pulled Dacio's limp body onto my shoulders, gripping his leg and arm in a vice grip, and walked over to Luffy, Zoro, and Koby, dropping him beside the bluenette.

"Wha-?" the bespectacled boy asked, looking up at me with wide eyes. I turned my eyes on him, making him flinch away from their piercing gaze.

"You're going to become a Marine, right?" I asked, then nudged Dacio with the toe of my sneaker. "Then watch over him for me and make sure he does something with himself." I walked over to Zoro, picking up my necklace from beside his foot and nodded at him before straightening up and grinning at Luffy. "Nice rescue, Straw Hat." He grinned back at me as I walked away.

"Hey, nee-chan!" Luffy shouted. "Duck!" I looked up and hit the ground in time before a burly man smashed into me. I didn't have time to question my unusually quick reflexes because of what happened when me hands hit the ground.

The light from before, when I was trying to stop Akako from killing me, erupted from my hands again. As soon as it happened, the ground around me rose up in a dome shape, closing over my head and completely blocking the light. I sat up, panting as I felt my energy suddenly leave me. I looked down at my hands, or in the general direction since I couldn't really see them, and wondered what the hell just happened.

So far, this had happened twice. The first time had been when Akako had tried to kill me (or killed me if this was really my afterlife). That had resulted in us showing up at the Gate. The second time was just now, when I was afraid of getting squashed by a man flying through the air. Was this just an affect of adrenaline or was it something else. I knew Edward Elric clapped his hands to use alchemy, but he had to physically touch them together to complete his 'circle'. I had just used my hands and I knew nothing of the elemental makeup of things, but if this was some odd alchemy, it was worth a try to use it again with a clear mind. Otherwise I would just run out of air and die (again).

Deciding to just go with my instinct, I slammed my hands against the wall and thought of the white light, of the wall sinking back into the ground and going back to the way it was. . .

"Nee-chan!" Luffy shouted. "That was awesome!"

"I suppose it was." I panted, feeling completely drained. My stamina sucked apparently.

'Lieutenant! We can't kill these three!" a marine shouted. "They're too strong. . . Any. . . Anyways . . . we can't defeat Zoro!"

Wondering what they were talking about when they included me with Luffy and Zoro, I looked back around me. My jaw dropped and my eye twitched as I found myself surrounded by unconscious men, who had apparently appeared out of nowhere when I accidentally erected my dome. They had been thrown up into the air when the walls went up and dropped back down like stones, at least, that was what I thought.

"This is an order," Morgan said angrily. "Whoever just said that. . . Get a gun and kill yourself! I don't need useless soldiers! THAT'S AN ORDER!" Grateful I had the sense to keep Dacio from going back to Morgan, I ran over to the boy as Morgan pulled out a gun and aimed it at him. Around him, the men put their guns to their temples.

"What the hell do these dumb Marines think they're doing?" Zoro asked incredulously around the Wado. Luffy suddenly took off running towards the Marines, drawing back a fist.

"I am the Marines' worst enemy!" he growled, punching the flat part of Morgan's axe hand. "If you have the guts then execute me!" As his words faded into the air, everyone stopped and looked at him. Beneath my body, which I had covered him with to shield him, Dacio stirred. He turned beet red as he opened his eyes to an eyeful of my cleavage. I noticed this and sat up, ignoring him with a pink tinge to my cheeks.

"LUFFY-SAN!" Koby shouted passionately. "DEFEAT THESE MARINES!"

"People like you, without status," Morgan said, throwing off his coat. "Have no right to oppose me! I AM LIEUTENANT AXE-HAND MORGAN!"

"My name is Luffy! Nice to meet you!"

"GO TO HELL!" Morgan roared, swinging at Luffy. The rubber man leapt up in the air, the blow missing him completely. Instead, it took down the fence and part of the wall.

"WAH!" Koby shouted in alarm. "The fence broke in half just like that!"

Still in the air, Luffy used his position to slam him feet into Morgan's face, sending him flying backwards.

"Lieutenant, he-" a Marine said in disbelief, unable to believe the man who had ruthlessly ruled over them had been hit by a scrawny boy.

"You little bastard!" Morgan roared, rising back up and running at Luffy once more, arm swinging. "Go to hell!" He swung down, axe hand sinking into the ground as Luffy moved to the right, just missing the attack.

"I'm not dead yet!" he grinned, kicking Morgan in the side of his head. Morgan fell backwards.

"Too. . . Too strong." Koby gasped, gaping at the black haired boy.

"Lieutenant Morgan, can only be kicked around!"

"Some great Marine you are," Luffy growled, grabbing the front of Morgan's shirt and pulling him up as he drew back his fist. Beside me, Hellmeppo suddenly appeared, grabbing Koby from behind and shoving a pistol to his temple. "Destroyed Koby's dreams and goals."

"_WAIT!_" the blond next to me shouted. Luffy's eyes flickered to him before he slammed his fist into Morgan's face. "You idiot! I told you to wait!"

"Ugh," I sighed, rolling my eyes. Hellmepo . . .

"If you want this guy to survive, then don't move! If anyone moves, I'll shoot!"

"Hellmeppo-sama." the Marines exclaimed.

"Luffy!" Koby shouted. "I don't wanna be in your way! I'm not afraid of death!"

"Okay." Luffy grinned. "I know! You stupid son, Koby's not afraid of death!" Luffy drew back his fist as Morgan stood up once more and raised his axe above Luffy's head, intent on bringing down.

"Hey! You idiot, I told you not to move, or I'm gonna shoot!"

"Gomu Gomu,"

"Go ahead and shoot!" Koby shouted bravely.

"Straw Hat-san! Behind you!" I shouted, stealing his next line before I slammed my fist into the ground.

"Pistol!" Luffy shouted, initiating his attack.

"I am the great Marine Lieutenant!" Morgan shouted. Zoro put the Wado back into his mouth as three things happened simultaneously. My fist glowed and I found myself shouting as I created an attack. Luffy's fist shot forward as he shouted for his daddy to hurry up and kill Luffy. The blond was send flying as Zoro moved at the same time, slashing Morgan across the chest and ultimately defeating him. The light from my fist shot into the ground, racing along until it ended beneath Morgan, sending a stone pillar up and smashing into the back of his head.

"Zoro!" Luffy shouted, glancing at the swordsman from the corner of his eye.

"Leave it to me, Captain!" he said, voice muffled by the Wado's hilt.

"Nice." I said appreciatively.

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><p><strong><span>SBS<span>**

No SBS this time, but thanks to _FlyingDinosaurs_ for Favoriting!


	3. Something to Live For

**Gateways: First Coming**

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><p><strong>Chapter Three ::: Something to Live For ::: <strong>

**Aka ::: Friends :::**

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><p>"<em><strong>Erde Säule<strong>, huh?_" I mused, looking at my fist curiously. "Should all of my attacks be in German?"

"_I'm full!_" Zoro laughed, putting his hands on his stomach. I looked over at him from my place at the bar. Dacio was in between me and Koby, eating a lunch that I had paid for. "Haven't eaten for nine days, almost starved to death!"

After Morgan had been defeated, I went around and took the bullets from the unconscious soldiers' guns, which were lined with lead. Using my new found ability to use my unique brand of alchemy, I turned the lead to gold and went to the nearest pawn shop. Due to the small amount of lead there was on each bullet, I didn't have much. Enough to buy some clothes and lunch, but now, I was completely broke.

At the moment, I was sitting in the restaurant with Zoro, Luffy, Koby, Dacio, Rika and everyone else who had gathered to get a glimpse of the people who had defeated Morgan.

"_Then it's impossible for you to last a month!_" Luffy accused, mouth full of meat. Dacio grimaced in disgust as I grinned in amusement.

"Your so scrawny, how can you still eat more than me!" Zoro asked, pointing at Luffy's stomach.

"_Sorry,_" Koby apologized, rubbing the back of his head. "Even I ate quite a lot."

"_Don't worry!_" Rika's mom insisted with a smile. "Keep eating, you saved our town!"

"_Onii-san, you're so strong!_" Rika said, looking at Luffy with awe.

"Yep! I'm strong!" Luffy smiled at her. "I'll get stronger later on!"

"Oh yea," Zoro said, looking at the young captain. "What are your plans next?"

"I am going to head for the 'Grand Line'!" Luffy said, startling Koby and Dacio.

"What? You're saying crazy things again! Just you two, how can you enter the Grand

Line?"

"Well, I was hoping she'd come with us too." I blinked as Luffy pointed at me. Was he really asking me to join his crew.

"_Why me?_" I asked, confused.

"You're pretty cool," Luffy informed me. "If you come with us, you'll have something to live for!"

"And that is?" I asked, smiling slightly. I could see what was happening. Luffy was trying to give me a dream.

"_Kimi-nee!_" Dacio exclaimed, leaping to his feet. "You can't honestly be considering his offer! The Grand Line is a place for the suicidal!" I smiled and ruffled his hair slightly.

"Only to those who don't have the determination to make it through. I know just about everything about the Grand Line and I say it's a real paradise!" I turned to Luffy. "I accept your offer, Straw Hat-san. I'll join your crew, but only if you give me a job to do." Luffy grinned.

"Can you write?" I nodded, feeling confident at my ability to read and write kanji. I had way too much time on my hands back in my world. When you had enough time to learn a forgein language because there was nothing else to do, you knew you needed to get a life. I learned two. Now what does that tell you about me? "Then you can be our Chronicler."

"Don't you understand? The world's strongest pirates all gather there!"

"We're going for One Piece," Zoro said, grinning. "It won't hurt to head that direction."

"Zoro-san, Kim-san, even you're saying this rubbish!" Koby shouted. Dacio hugged my legs.

"Don't do it, Kimi-nee!" he wailed. I gently pried his hands off my pants and pulled him up, ignoring the rest of the conversation between the other boys.

"Don't worry, Dacio-chan." I said cheerfully. "I don't die easily. I'll make it to One Piece with these guys. Anyways, if you're gonna be a great marine, you should get over your fear of the Grand Line. You'll chase me on it one day, won't you?" Dacio stared at me with wide eyes. Then he threw his arms around my neck and began to cry loudly. I laughed, hugging him back and rubbing the back of his head.

"I'll dever forget oou, Kimi-dee!"

"Likewise, kid." I pulled him off me and smiled at him. "Get stronger so you'll be able to face me one day, 'kay?" He bit his lip and nodded tearfully.

"_Excuse me,_" All of us looked to the door as it swung open and a Marine stepped in. I quickly pushed Dacio away from me and went to stand by Luffy and Zoro. Dacio stayed back, knowing that he couldn't be seen with me. "We are wondering, are you really. . . pirates?"

"Yea, I just found my first two crew members, so that would make us pirates now." Luffy smiled at me and Zoro.

"Even though you are pirates, you saved our town and base. For that, we are grateful." the Marine said, pulling on his hat. "But since you are pirates, as Marines we can not allow you to stay any longer. Please leave this place immediately. As for the events that occurred here, we will be reporting it to headquarters."

This caused an uproar among the citizens. As they shouted at the Marines for driving us out, Luffy stood up.

"Hmm, well then, let's go! Thank you for your food ma'am." at least Makino had put some manners into the boy, but I think they'll fade as time goes on.

As we walked out, I ruffled Rika's hair and winked at Dacio. Tears Welles up in his eyes, he he remained standing steady. I ignored the small 'fight' between Luffy and Koby and headed down to the docks. The boys arrived a few minutes later.

"You know, I don't think I ever really introduced myself." I said as they finishes talking to each other. "I'm Leonore Kimiya. Please call me Kim."

"Luffy-san!"

"Kimi-nee!"

We turned as Koby and Dacio ran up. They saluted us together.

"THANK YOU SO MUCH!" they cried. "I'll never forget you for the rest of my life!"

"I've never seen Marines saluting pirates." Zoro said, grinning. Luffy laughed and waved.

"Koby! We'll meet again someday!"

"See ya, kid!" I waved alongside Luffy, grinning like the boys on either side of me. With that done, we climbed into the small boat and pushed off.

"Group salute!" the Marine from the restaurant called, with his men standing behind him and the two younger kids. I laughed and waved again as they punished themselves for saluting pirates. After the island faded from sight, I sat down next to the barrels opposite Zoro.

"Yahooo! We're off!" Luffy cheered. "Grand Line! Here we come!"

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter Three ::: Something to Live For ::: Pt. 2<br>Aka ::: Nami Enters :::  
><strong>

* * *

><p>Several days after leaving Shells City, we were bored, hungry, and utterly lost. Things had been a little awkward between me and Zoro because of the 'dying' incident, but it was starting to smooth out. The most we could really do was play twenty questions and sleep. Since Zoro was the one sleeping, I was victim to Luffy's game. And let me tell you, that boy had some <em>weird<em> questions. Example: 'What's your favorite flavor of meat?'. Okay, maybe they're not so strange for Luffy to ask and, to be honest, I kinda liked playing with the young captain.

Though, next time he calls me 'Nee-chan', I'll slap him. I'm only a month older than him!

"Ugh, I'm so hungry. . ." Luffy groaned. I yawned and absentmindedly fingered my necklace as I listened to the conversation half-heartedly.

"It's funny that you two have absolutely no navigation skills." Zoro scowled at us. I gave him a lazy look that was somewhere between Kakashi's and Shikamaru's.

"Did I ever say I could navigate?" I asked dryly. "No. Give me a Log Pose and I can point you in the general direction but otherwise, I'm as lost as you guys." _Even more so considering I'm not sure of the exact layout of this world_, I thought, finishing the sentence in my mind.

"What's a Log Pose?" Zoro and Luffy asked. I just laughed and shook my head.

"I'll tell you later." Luffy shrugged and turned to Zoro, who was frowning. I think I annoyed him with my vague speech.

"I've just been wandering!" the black haired boy said. "You're like me too, Zoro. Wandering and capturing pirates for rewards."

"I don't remember me saying I live completely off of rewards." the green haired swordsman protested. "I was searching for a man, that's why I left to the sea. But now I can't find my way home. I had no choice but to start hunting pirates for a living, just to get a little bit for the living expenses."

"Oh, so you're lost?" Luffy asked, and I burst out laughing as Zoro shouted at him.

"Geez," Zoro sighed, sitting back. "Never heard of pirates who don't know how to navigate! How do you expect to go to the Grand Line like this? You should hurry up and find a crew mate who knows how to navigate!"

"A good one," I said, leaning against our small mast. "The Grand Line is constantly on the verge of bad weather, you're gonna need someone to lead you through it without fail."

"You know a lot about the Grand Line," Zoro said turning to me. "Have you been there before?" I shrugged.

"You could say that."

"And we gotta get someone who knows how to cook. And someone for singing." Luffy counted off on his fingers.

"IDIOT! WHAT ARE YOU GOING OFF ON!" Zoro shouted. Suddenly, the they collapsed.

"Sooooo hungry. . . . ." they groaned, splayed out on the floor of the boat. I looked at them curiously. So far, I hadn't been experiencing any hunger pains. Now that I think of it, I don't think I was ever actually hungry after we left the base. It's like my mind isn't even registering that my body needs food. Even though I never really ate a lot, I knew that something was definitely wrong if I wasn't hungry after going days without food.

"Oh!" Luffy said, staring up at the sky. "A bird! Looks pretty tasty."

"It's pink." I commented. After a moment of staring, Luffy sat up.

"Let's eat that bird!" he exclaimed, looking at me and Zoro.

"How are you going to eat it?" the swordsman asked, raising an eyebrow.

"I'll go get it! Watch my specialty! Gomu Gomu -" I wrapped my arms around his waist, an idea forming in my mind. "ROCKET!" Holding on tightly, but not enough to squeeze him too hard, I clung to Luffy as we flew through the air.

As expected, as soon as me were close enough, the bird bit onto Luffy's head. The hood of my jacket was caught on the edge of its beak, and I dangled dangerously, a shriek tearing its way from my mouth.

"AHHHHH!" Luffy and I screamed. "HELP!"

* * *

><p><strong><em>Rather short by my standards, but enough for the moment. Apparently I am having issues with my laptop so I apologize for any errors, though I have spellchecked this. Anyways, on to SBS!<em>**

**SBS**

FlyingDinosaurs: _Did she accidently sell her soul?_

**_Technically, no. If you go back to the piece with the Gate, you'll see that she actually sold Akako. But that wasn't her choice. In addition to that, she sold her 'humanity', which is the equivilant to her soul, in a way. Thanks for reviewing!_**


	4. The Most Stupid Ideas

**Gateways: First Coming**

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter Four ::: The Most Stupid Ideas :::<strong>  
><strong>Aka ::: Nami Enters ::: Pt. 2<strong>

**Aka ::: Evil Woman ::: Pt. 1  
><strong>

* * *

><p>The flight with the bird was a lot faster than I expected. I guess it was because the manga shows Zoro rowing like crazy and cuts from him after he saves the three Buggy pirates to Nami running with her newly stolen map and Luffy being shot down by the cannon. That was also something I forgot to consider.<p>

I had originally planned on getting on top of the bird and somehow forcing it to land once we got to the island. However, that would keep us from meeting Nami and therefore we wouldn't get the best navigator there is. That idea's crossed out. Then I planned on jumping from the bird once we got close enough to a building. The problem with that? My jacket was caught on its beak, preventing me from doing any kind of jumping whatsoever. Scratch that too. Then there was my last idea. Scream like hell until we were shot down.

That was the only one that seemed to be working.

"_AHHHH!_" Luffy and I screamed together again as a giant cannonball hurdled through the air, directly at us. "HELP!"

BOOM!

The cannonball collided with the bird once we were beginning to fly over the island.

"_SHIIIIIT!_" I screeched, flying in the opposite direction, away from Luffy. Thinking I could maybe save myself some pain, I curled up into a ball, squeezing my eyes shut as my throat became raw from all the shouting I was doing.

FLUMP!

I blinked, knowing this was definitely /not/ the sound a body makes when it hits the ground. I lifted my head up from my knees and looked around me, sweat dropping. I had landed on top of Richie in the middle of the Buggy pirates.

"_What's this?_" the big nosed captain asked silkily. My eyes flickered from him to the Log Pose peeking out of a bag a few feet away, then back to him. An idea began forming in my mind.

Of course, it was an extremely stupid one, but a lot of times, the most stupid ideas are really good ones.

"Heya!" I said cheerfully, unfolding myself and wavily goofily at the clown pirate. "You're Captain Buggy, right?"

"Yes," Buggy said, surveying me.

"Great!" I hopped off Richie, landing next to his paw. My head tipped all the way back as I tried to see his face better. I couldn't. "Whoa, that's one /big/ lion. Anyways, I got a proposition for you. You see, I'm an alchemist. I can change stuff like lead into something like gold and pretty much make whatever I want, except for life and food if there's no grass."

"You can make gold?" Buggy asked sceptically. I grinned like the Cheshire cat. If I could pull this off, I was set.

"Got any lead bullets?" I asked. Buggy watched me for a moment, then nodded at one of his men, who handed me a single bullet. I held it up to my face and examined it. "Not a lot of lead, but enough to show you what I mean." I clapped my hands and touched them to the bullet. The lead slid off of it, turning to gold as it fell.

My alchemy was a bit different from the kind found in FMA. I had figured out, instead of having to make something out of something else of equal value, all I had to do was picture the Gate in my mind and image whatever I was trasmutating as what it would become, if that makes any sense. I think it has something to do with the irrationality of this world. I mean, come on, sky islands, Devil Fruits, zombies? Why should alchemy be any sort of normal?

The Buggy pirates watched the gold drop to the ground, hardening to a little nugget no bigger than my pinkie nail. I bent down to pick it up, but a pirate knocked me out of the way and snatched it up himself. I scowled as he handed it to his captain. Buggy examined it for a moment, eyes narrowed.

"You say you can do this with anything?" he asked, looking at me. I shrugged.

"Just lead. If I have a lot of it, I can make more gold." I clasped my hands behind my back. "Now, if I join your crew, I can make you as much gold as you like, provided I have the means for making it."

"What's the catch?" Buggy asked, slipping the gold into his pocket.

"I want a Log Pose," I said lightly, rocking on my heels. "I know you've got one, after all, you're going to take the Grand Line by storm, right? Only an idiot would go in unprepared." Buggy considered this for a moment.

"We can always get another one at Logue Town," he said, tossing me the Log Pose from his bag. I grinned and strapped it to my wrist. "Welcome to the Buggy pirates!"

"Great! You can call me Miyaki!" I used an anagram of my name, not wanting to be called Kim by them. Only my friends were allowed to call me by my nickname.

"Have a seat, Miyaki-san." Buggy said, pointing at a little beanbag like chair near his throne-like chair.

"Okay!" I said, skipping over to it and plopping down, snatching one pirate's dark sunglasses as I went. Once I was settled, I pulled off my jacket and tossed it behind a barrel.

I wore a pair of baggy cargo pants with regular tennis shoes and a black tank top with a cracked skull over a dark purple tank top. There were three rings on both of my hands, six in total. One on each of my index fingers and two on my middle fingers, one at the base of my fingers and one just above my knuckle. My fingernails were black due to the fact I drew on them with a black marker, a habit I was trying to break. There was a black choker around my neck, with thin metal plates going around it, chains dangling from them, and of course, there was my Flamel necklace. I wanted to get my ears pierced like Pein's from Naruto, but I due to complications (aka: getting murdered in an alley way) I had never gotten around to it.

I pulled my Flamel necklace and choker off too, trying to make myself as unrecognizable as possible so that Luffy wouldn't blow my cover when he and Nami arrived. Knowing it was probably a lost cause because the boy could recognize some people when they looked nothing like themselves. Though, I never figured out how he recognized Sanji in his wanted poster when he couldn't tell that Sogeking was really Usopp wearing a mask. I slipped the sunglasses on my face as a man ran up.

"You still can not catch the thief?" Buggy asked dangerously, glaring at the man, who was sweating like crazy. After that, I kind of zoned out, not bothering to listen to Buggy yelling at his men and ultimately killing the messenger.

"Miyaki!" My head snapped to Buggy and I wiped my chin, which was covered in drool from my daydream.

"Hm?" I asked, blinking up at him behind my sunglasses.

"Prepare to witness an example of my great power!" he laughed, then I noticed that his men were loading the cannon with a Buggy ball. I waited silently, watching as the fuse was lit and burned down.

"_I didn't do anything wrong!_" The messenger cried, practically sobbing. A sick feeling bubbled in my stomach, listening to his pleading. I tried to block out his next words, but they wormed through. "H-Help me!" I closed my eyes as the cannon went off, swallowing hard against the bile in my throat as the man screamed one last time.

**_This is a world of pirates,_** I reminded myself. _**People will die.**_ I opened my eyes again, but instead of seeing the Buggy pirates, I was at the Gate again. Unlike the last time I was here, the doors were open and a light was shinning out of one half, the other side bathed in darkness.

My clothes from before were gone, my body wrapped snugly in white ribbons, which started just below my collar bone and went all the way down to my hips, were they fluttered out like a skirt. It felt like I was wearing a dress.

"Wha-" Suddenly, a light began to shimmer in front of the Gate. The man who had just been killed by the Buggy ball faded into sight, looking terrified and confused.

"_This is the crossing over._" a voice said from behind me. I whirled around, skirt flying out around me, and came face to face with Akako.

"You!" I cried, half relived was alright, half terrified that he was going to kill me again. He looked at me, bright green eyes meeting mind.

He was covered in ribbons too, his a bright scarlet instead of white. They started at his neck and went down his body and arms, stopping at his wrists and hips. Instead of a flowing skirt, he wore loose black pants, and was barefoot, like myself.

"Yes, Kimiya Leonore, I am still in exsistance." he said coldly, looking down at me. I flinched and looked away from him, stepping back nervously.

"Where are we?" I asked, trying to turn the subject to something else and rid myself of this strange curiosity. "What's happening?" Akako grabbed me by the shoulders and turned me so that I was looking at the dead pirate again. My skin burned beneath his hands, but not in a bad way.

"This is the Gate during the crossing of a soul. He will either cross into the light, where there is peace, or he will be pulled into the darkness."

"What's in the darkness?" I whispered, terrified by the severity of the situation.

"Pain."

I shuddered, shrinking back into Akako's grip, trying to find some comfort after the words were spoken. The red head froze, standing stiffly as I leaned against his chest slightly.

But I couldn't care less, because the door on the side of the light was beginning to close. A hand shot out of the darkness, grabbing the man's ankle. He screamed loudly. My hands shot to my ears, covering them as I once again tried to block the sounds of his pain out. More hands shot out and I squeezed my eyes together so tightly that it hurt, pressing my hands to my ears in a vain and desperate attempt to hear nothing. Tears leaked out of my eyes, remorse and guilt filling me up as I stood in place against Akako's chest, not even trying to help the man.

Was it wrong that I was scared? Scared to die? Scared to be pulled in myself? I didn't want those hands to touch me, rotting and bony.

I could faintly hear someone else screaming along with the man and, with a jolt, I realized it was me. Strong hands grabbed my shoulders, pulling me towards something tall and steady, and I was lifted into the air. I felt a steady rocking motion as Akako carried me away, and my screams dissolved into sobs.

I didn't want to be here anymore! My afterlife was hell! Was it going to be like this everytime someone died around me? I'd go insane before we even made it to the Baratie!

Akako set me down, the screams in the distance having faded away. My tears turned to sniffles with the occasional hiccup.

"Perhaps I was mistaken about you," Akako sighed and, for the first time since I had heard him speak, there was emotion in his voice. Regret.

I looked up at him, blinking my wide golden eyes and found that he was staring at me. I looked away quickly, not wanting to anger him for staring.

"I'm sorry," I whimpered, not really sure just what I was aplogizing for. Akako sighed again, brushing a piece of my shoulder length dark brown hair behind my ear.

"Return to your body, Kimiya Leonore." he said. "Deal with this at another time. There are more important things going on around you than this moment.

"How do I return?" I asked, utterly confused. I could have sworn I saw the red head's lips twitch as everything began to fade.

"Do not worry about how," he said, voice fading. "You have already begun to do so."

* * *

><p><strong>SBS<strong>

santa. claus. is. a. stalker: **_Thanks for the Review and for Story Alerting! Yes, she's going to get into a lot of trouble as time goes on, particularly with Akako and the Gate._**


	5. The Great Dragon Dog

**Gateways: First Coming**

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter Five ::: The Great Dragon Dog :::<br>Aka ::: Evil Woman ::: Pt. 2**

**Aka ::: What Happened at the Bar :::  
><strong>

* * *

><p>After Akako faded away along with the white space, I found myself exactly where I had been since I 'joined' the Buggy pirates. He sound of the cannon hadn't even begun to fade, telling me that what had happened took place in my mind within less than a second. Wiping my eyes because tears were falling from them, I stood up, grateful I was wearing sunglasses. I prayed my voice wouldn't break when I spoke next.<p>

"_Well,_" I said lightly with a heavy heart. "Not that this isn't fun and all, but I'm gonna go shopping." Buggy and his men winced, shuddering at the idea of something as evil as _shopping_.

"_Have fun!_" Buggy called in a strangled voice as I walked down the street, jacket on once more.

I had to get away from there. I had planned on waiting for Luffy and Nami to show up, that way I knew when Zoro would get there and I could stop him from getting hurt. However, after seeing that, after watching that man die in front of me, I knew I couldn't stay there. I could stop Zoro from getting hurt, so what? I couldn't stop a man from dying when all I had to do was move the cannon or make Buggy let him go or something. What use did I have here in this world? There was no reason for me to be here, I wasn't part of the storyline. Why had I even agreed to join Luffy when I /knew/ my presence could affect the plot?

Then I remembered. Dacio. Luffy had offered me a reason to live, which was one of the reasons I had joined his crew. The other was Dacio's existence. He hadn't been in the manga, yet, he had been at Shells City in the Marine base. That in itself was an alteration of the original story line. If Dacio was just one of the flukes in this place, what's to say there aren't more floating around out there? Dangerous ones like Don Krieg or Arlong lackeys that could actually pose a threat to the Straw Hats?

I wasn't positive that my presence was the cause of Dacio's appearance, but I knew somehow that it had something to do with me, whether it was a direct involvement or something that happened at another time, something that wasn't supposed to happen.

I believed in the Butterfly Effect, so in deciding to join Luffy's crew, I had created a ripple and, as that ripple's creator, I was responsible for everything that happened because of it. It was only fair that I stay and try to fix it.

Soon enough, I found myself on the other side of town, about as far away from Buggy as I could get without running into the townsfolk or actually leaving the island. I sat down with a sigh, running a hand over my face.

To live in a manga. That should be any otaku's dream. Even I had wondered what it'd be like to live in a different world. But now that I'm in one, all I want to do is go back to my normal boring life. I wasn't like one of those girls from the fanfictions, you know, the ones who have their nice little safe lives and wanted something more? They were actually happy to be in an anime. Myself? Not so much.

I think, since the first time I had entered this world, I was homesick. I missed my microwave and instant ramen, my IPod and old beaten up motorcycle that was granny slow, my brothers.

While I can't exactly remember my parents since they died when I was little, every memory I have of my brothers is completely vivid. My oldest brother, Kaine, dropped out of college when he was eighteen in order to take care of us. I adored him. Then there's Ken, my other brother who's four years younger than Kaine. He's a total sweetheart to everyone, though, he's a bit of a crybaby.

I missed them and Mike, Ken's husband. I missed freaking out on everyone who picked on him for being gay and laughing at Kaine when his face turned red as he got angry. I missed Mike and his bear hugs and the glomps from Ken, I even missed Kaine's crappy cooking!

I missed then and it made me sad to know they had no idea what had happened to me.

I raised my head up.

I had found a new resolve, a dream that was worth dying for all over again. This world was full of possible impossibilities. Even if I really was dead, what was there to stop me from sending word to my brothers, from telling them where I had gone, what I had been doing?

* * *

><p>Suddenly feeling rather happy, I grinned and shrugged my jacket off, throwing over my shoulder as I got up and headed for the docks, a slight bounce in my step. I guess having a dream can do that to a person!<p>

Walking around an unfamiliar town while you're not in the right state of mind is an extremely easy way to get lost. I realized this as I stared at the end of yet another alleyway.

"Damn," I sighed, leaning against the wall. "Which way are the docks?"

"_Why not just use your nose and smell the way?_"

"No," I said, shaking my head. "My sense of smell sucks."

"Oh, well, I could do it for you." I sighed and turned to the little boy behind me.

"As much as I appreciate your offer I -" I blinked, finding no one behind me. "Where are you?"

"Down here!" I looked down at the little white and brown dog sitting a few feet away from me, raising an eyebrow. "Hi! My name's Ryuuji!"

**_Aw, he's so cute!_** I thought, grinning as I crouched down. He reminded me of Akamaru, but with brown spots all over him. The fact that he was talking didn't really surprise me, considering this was the world of One Piece, but the fact that he sounded just like Aaron Dismuke had my inner fan girl squealing. I was a big fan of Alphonse Elric.

"Heya Ryuuji-san," I said raising a hand in a half wave. The little dog grinned back at me as best a dog could, showing off all his pointed little teeth. Insert another suppressed squeal here. "I appreciate your offer, but do you really want to go out of your way to help me? I mean, the docks are probably pretty far from here." Ryuuji shrugged.

"I've got nothing better to do." he said softly. "Everyone else is back with the other Upwalkers." I blinked for a moment, wondering what he was talking about, then realized 'Upwalkers' was probably what he considered a human.

"Well then, Ryuuji-san," I said as he jumped onto my head. "I'd love it if you'd escort me to the docks. I'm Leonore Kim."

"It's nice to meet you, Kim-senpai!" he said cheerfully. I pulled my hood up to make sure he wouldn't fall off my head, and set off, listening carefully to the little dragon dog's directions.

After a while, I was assaulted by the smell of sea salt and gun powder. I zipped my jacket up and ran towards the bar where Buggy and his crew were staying.

"Hold on, Ryuuji-san!" I called. He merely yipped as I ran along, the little dog bouncing inside my hood. Then, as if all the strange things that had happened so far weren't enough, as I jumped, reaching for the gutter of a low built house, I went up way too far and landed on the roof. I flailed around desperately, almost falling back off, then grabbed the small chimney, pulling myself up right.

"Wow!" Ryuuji cried, sticking his head out and looking around in awe. "That was awesome, senpai!" I grinned slightly, distracted by what I had just done.

"Thanks," I said then, deciding not to question it for the moment, I jumped again, aiming for the roof of the bar. I just barely landed on the roof, right behind a giant cage that held Luffy, and stumbled before regaining my balance.

"_Kim!_" my captain said happily. I grinned slightly, taking Ryuuji out of my hood and setting him next the cage.

"Heya Luffy," I said. "Ryuuji-san, please stay here."

"Okay senpai!" I smiled at him and walked up to stand with Zoro and Nami. The green haired man looked at me lazily.

"_Where've you been?_" he asked. I shrugged my jacket off and tossed it towards Luffy.

"Well, after I conned Buggy into giving me his Log Pose, I went for a walk, found a dog, then came back here." I said lightly, clapping my hands. White light crackled around them, sounding like the Chidori. "So, I take it we're in the middle of a fight or something?"

"Something like that." he chuckled.

"Guys!" Luffy whined. "Get me outta this thing, quick!"

"You!" Zoro said, turning to him. "Is this your idea of fun! You and Kim get caught by a bird and got carried away, and now when I finally find you, you're in a cage! Stupid!"

"_Hey, that guy, Z-zoro? Did he just say his name was Zoro?_" One of Buggy's pirates asked nervously, unable to believe he had just blocked his attack.

"_The Pirate Hunter Zoro! Why the hell is he talking with a thief!_" Another asked, just as nervous and confused.

"_The crew that guy was talking about was the Pirate Hunter Zoro and this girl? I don't understand!_" Nami said, watching us with wide eyes.

"Don't try to understand." I told her cheerfully, taking my glasses off. "It's easier that way."

"Your name's not Miyaki, is it?" Buggy asked rhetorically. I grinned and stuck my tongue out at him. "You're definitely Zoro, are you aiming for my head? She must be your partner and came to assess me."

"No, I've no interest in that. I'm no longer a pirate hunter because I have quit." Ignoring Buggy, I walked over to Luffy, hands still crackling as I crouched down and examined the bars.

"Are these steel or iron?" I asked, poking one. It disintegrated beneath my touch. "Then again, I suppose it doesn't matter either way. It won't stand up against me." I grabbed the bars, which turned to sand beneath my fingers. Behind me, Zoro had 'chopped' Buggy into pieces.

"Huh! That guy's so weak!" Luffy asked, staring.

"Oh my god!" Nami cried. I stood up and grabbed Luffy around the waist along with Ryuuji.

"Please let us take care of this one, captain." I requested, grinning at the younger boy as I handed him the dog. "In the mean time, you can try to convince the ginger to join us." Then I jumped onto the roof beside the bar and set him down before jumping back and landing beside Nami.

* * *

><p><strong><em>This chapter depressed me. T_T<em>**

**SBS**

Snoara: _**thanks for Favoriting!**_

santa. claus. is. a. stalker.: **_can I just call you santa-san? Thanks for the Review! Yes, the rest of the crews' reaction is something I'm looking forward to writing. . . especially Sanji's! Mwhahaha, the poor guy won't know what hit him!_**


	6. Bringing Down the Bigtop

_**Warning: Lot's of blood and descriptive stabbing.**_

**Gateways: First Coming**

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter Six ::: Bringing Down the Bigtop :::<strong>  
><strong>Aka ::: Reckless :::<strong>  
><strong>Aka ::: A Thief's Philosophy :::<strong>

**Aka ::: Village :::**

* * *

><p>"<em>He died really easily,<em>" Zoro noted as he looked at Buggy's fallen pieces.

"_There's no blood,_" I said, crossing my arms. "Also, he's a Devil Fruit user. He can separated his body parts. He's trying to trick you."

"Oh really," Zoro raised an eyebrow, unamused. Buggy pulled himself back together with a scowl.

"_So you've figured out my plan, huh?_" he asked irritably. "No matter. It won't stop me from killing all of you!" Then, faster than I could see, he threw his knife.

My eyes bulged and everything seemed to freeze. I looked down at Buggy's knife where it was protruding from my stomach. My hands went to it. I grabbed the handle and pulled weakly, my fingers getting coated with warm, wet blood. I grimaced at the squelching sound as I pulled the weapon out. Something bubbled up in my throat, and I couldn't help but cough. Blood splattered on the ground, mingling with the steadily growing puddle at my feet.

My abdomen was on fire, every nerve screaming at me, trying to tell me I was in pain at the same time. I opened my mouth and gasped, faintly hearing the cries of anger and shock that met my ears as I sank to my knees. Was I dying again? At least it was only one part of my body, unlike what happened after I fell. There was a dull roaring in my ears and somebody tugged at my hands as my vision darkened around the edges. I blinked dumbly at Zoro, unable to make out what he was saying. My eyes watered from the smoke surrounding us and the pain from my stomach. I heard someone shout my name as I passed out.

* * *

><p>This time, instead of finding myself at the Gate, I just dreamed. My dream was. . . indescribable. The best way to put it is memories, memories that moved so fast, I couldn't even tell them apart. And feelings. As they shot by, I felt everything that came along with them. Sadness, anger, confusion, happiness, love. It was like reliving my life. Then, . . .<p>

BOOOOOOOM!

I yelped as I was rudely jarred awake by a blast from a Buggy ball, and sat up, putting a hand on my stomach, which was wrapped in bandages.

"_Hey Kim!_" I heard Luffy shout. "Are you still alive!" I grunted as I stood up, stretching. There was a slight tug from where I had been stabbed, but no pain.

"Of course!" I yawned, walking towards them. "But that was an awful alarm clock!"

"What a relief! You're alive!" Luffy said happily and I found myself squished in his embrace.

"Like I said before, I don't die easily." I informed him, patting the top of his straw hat covered head. As I looked around, I found that the pet food store was still standing, albeit slightly charred, but Shushu was no where in sight. Boodle was standing with Zoro and Nami, the former not having a scratch on him. "So what've I missed?"

They told me that after I passed out, Zoro turned the cannon on Buggy and blew them up before carrying me here. Apparently, Nami was the one who patched me up. I gave her a thankful nod, to which she just blinked at. After Nami made me into a mummy, Moeji and Richie showed up and tried to kill Zoro, but just ended up damaging the store, which made Luffy mad. He beat the two up and Shushu left with Ryuuji for the make-shift village on the other side of the island.

As Zoro finished telling me what happened, a great shadow fell over us. We tipped our heads back and our eyes widened. I tightened my grip on Luffy, trembling slightly.

An absolutely huge-ass housefly had flown over us and blocked the sunlight. There was an unignorable buzz invading the air.

"_Mon dieu!_" I whispered, releasing Luffy. The bug landed on a nearby roof, and a man jumped down from it's back. He had spiky, Naruto-styled hair that was dirty blond and muddy brown eyes. He had a massive amount of scars covering his arms and chest, and only wore a simple pair of black pants. "Luffy, I can take care of him." Nami practically screamed at me.

"_You're injured!_" she cried incredulously. "You nearly died! What makes you think you could possibly fight him!" I blinked at her.

"This?" I asked, clapping my hands together and ducking down to press them to the ground. The alchemic light shot through the earth and up the building's wall. A large stone pillar collided with the man and a pike stabbed through the housefly through the head, killing it and causing green goop to fly everywhere. "Go on ahead! I'll be fine!" Luffy gave me a blank stare and took off after grinning at me. He grabbed Nami and Boodle around their waists and Zoro gave me a look that said 'stay alive' before taking off after him.

"_Heroic or cowardly?_" the bug man chuckled, standing back up and wiping his bloody lip.

"Facing me, but avoiding the captain. Clever girl."

"Actually, I didn't want them to be bothered by such a wimpy guy." He scowled.

"My name is Cricket. You need not remember it long. You'll be dead shortly."

"Well then, _Cricket_." I drawled, clapping my hands again. My alchemic energy crackled around my fingers, making them tingle. "Let's get started." I jumped for the roof, pulling back my arm and aiming for a punch.

Right before I hit him, he dodged, and my fist met the roof, leaving a nice sized crater. I grimaced as my cut knuckles bled and stuck them in my mouth, sucking on them instinctively. I glared at him and lunged again, this time focusing my energy into the palm of my hand. It slammed into his chest, sending him flying. He dug his feet into the roof, stopping himself. He growled and pulled something from his pocket, throwing it at my face. I shrieked and slapped the beetle away, 'Ick Factor' setting in.

"Mountain Beetle!" he shouted, the beetle glowing. "Rapid Mass!"

My jaw dropped and my eye twitched as the beetle began to grow in size until it was at least three times my size. I threw my arms up as it roared, shaking. It took a step towards me and. . . fell over. . .

Cricket and I sweat dropped, watching it's weak legs kick rapidly in the air. It was truly a pitiful sight. I turned my blank stare on the blond, who laughed nervously and rubbed the back of his neck before trying to run away.

"Noogie Angehen!" I wrapped my legs around his waist after I tackled him, pushing my knuckles into the sides of his head and giving him a rough noogie like I had given Dacio. "Shōgekiha!" Cricket jerked and spasmed beneath me before collapsing.

I groaned and pulled my legs out from beneath him and rolled over away from his limp body. _Damn I'm tired!_ I thought.

Getting stabbed and just using alchemy alone drained my energy. I just laid there, staring at the clouds as my energy slowly returned. Using alchemy was a bit like running, it wore you out once you stopped, but you got over it fast. I sat up, body aching, and climbed down the drainage pipe before slowly walking towards the bar. By the time I got there, the fight was just about over.

"_EH!_" Buggy screamed as he reassembled and found himself missing a few parts. I laughed quietly and leaned against a nearby building.

"You wouldn't happen to be looking for these, would you?" Nami asked, resting a foot on the tied up limbs. She smirked.

"Yikes! My body parts!" Luffy laughed, swigging his arms back.

"A thief definitely has some cool skills! Leave the rest to me!" He grinned evilly at Buggy. "Get lost Buggy. Gomu Gomu-"

"STOOOP!" the clown screamed desperately.

"BAZOOKA!" Luffy's arms shot forward and sent Buggy flying alongside his parts.

Twinkle twinkle!

"Nice one!" I said cheerfully. Luffy grinned at me and I mimicked him.

"Victory!" Luffy cheered, throwing his arms up in the air. I chuckled as Zoro approached me.

"Feelin' any better?" he asked casually. I shrugged.

"Tired," I admitted. "But my stomach doesn't hurt anymore." I reached behind me and untied the wrappings beneath my tank tops. Zoro's eyes widened and he reached out to stop me.

"Hey! Be careful! You nearly died, you don't want to. . . re-open. . . it." he trailed off, staring at my stomach, which was perfect without a trace of a wound. I hummed, unconcerned because of my whole experience with falling from the sky thing.

"That's pretty cool." I murmured, poking my stomach to see if it would randomly tear back open. Zoro turned stiffly and walked back over to Luffy and Nami, obviously not wanting to put up with me and my whole 'dying' thing. I pouted, wondering if the swordsman would ever stop getting weirded out by me, not that I could blame him for it. People don't usually come back from the dead. I grumbled under my breath about stupid regenerative powers and stalked over to the others as the villagers began to trickle in.

"_You guys,_" one of them called. "We're the people of this village. Did the pirates stir up a fight amongst themselves? If you know anything, please tell us."

"Oh, so you're the villagers. I think some of the pirate crew are still here." Nami said, smiling. "If you want us to tell you, then there isn't anything much left to tell you." Before she could finish, one of the villagers, carrying a kendo sword, noticed the mayor with shock.

"_AH! CHIEF!_" he exclaimed, drawing every one's attention. There was a symphony of gasps and outraged cries as they rushed around him, begging him to get up and shouting abuse to the Buggy pirates.

"Ah, sorry." Luffy said suddenly. "I did that to the chief." I shivered as the villagers glared at us with murder in their eyes.

"Hey!" Nami snapped. "Why did you tell them that kinda thing on purpose!"

"You saw me do it, right?" Luffy asked, wondering what she was freaking out about.

"I know, but still!" she argued. "That was because you had a good reason." I could feel my legs burn with the urge to run and a grin planted itself on my face as Luffy announced to everyone that we were pirates. Zoro burst out laughing, doubling over with the force, and I couldn't help but join him, though I wasn't even sure why were laughing in the first place. I only laughed harder as Nami screamed at Luffy.

"BAKA!" she screeched.

"But it's the truth!" Luffy insisted stubbornly. "Let's run away!" As soon as he finished shouting, we all took off down the street, grins plastered to all our faces with the exception of Nami.

"Why the hell did you make the situation more complicated?" she shouted angrily at Luffy.

"This is a good village!" Luffy answered. Nami looked confused so Luffy elaborated. "For their chief, for just one person, they're all getting that mad! No matter what excuse we give, they'll still be mad at us!" Luffy grinned, as if running from an angry village was nothing and, I guess, to him, it really was nothing. We turned sharply into an alley. I skidded on the ground, stumbling, and a white and brown blur launched itself at my face.

"Ryuuji!" I cried, catching the little dog.

"_I wanna come with you!_" he exclaimed, trying frantically to lick my face. I spluttered, coming to a halt.

"Come on Kim!" Zoro shouted, grabbing me around the waist. I shrieked and clutched Ryuuji as he swung me over his shoulder.

"Put me down!" I snapped. Zoro was just like Kain: stubborn, rough, and annoying as hell. It was like he was bossing me around in Zoro's body. It made me wonder if he had found some way to possess the swordsman. I wouldn't put it past him, Kain had ways of keeping an eye on me. I yelped as his shoulder drove into my stomach. I kicked him in the stomach, making him grunt. "Be gentle if you're gonna manhandle me! Marimo!" I rolled my eyes as he growled and continued running. Behind us, the villagers yelled for Shushu to move, but the little dog just yelled at them. The other dog, Ryuuji, panted happily in my arms, wagging his tail.

I looked down at him with a deadpan expression. _What the heck are you so happy about!_

* * *

><p>"Hua. . . was getting pretty worried. Thanks to Shushu we barely got away." Nami sighed, toting her bag of jewels to her boat. "Why does it always end up this way?"<p>

"Who cares what they think," Luffy shrugged. "We did what we came to do!"

"Hey, Zoro-kun." I said, shifting Ryuuji to one of my arms and poking him. "Can you put me down now?" He grunted and set me back down on my feet, steadying me when I swayed slightly. "Thanks!"

"WE HAVE BEEN WAITING FOR YOU, THIEF!" the three Buggy pirates Nami had tricked.

"Hm? You three again?" Zoro said, glaring at them. The three flew back, screaming like little girls and ran off, tears streaming down their cheeks. I burst out laughing, my own eyes watering up, but from mirth instead of fear.

As soon as I was finished, I stood up straight, ignoring the strange look from Nami and headed over to the boat. The others followed after me and began getting ready. I helped as much as I could, coiling up ropes and helping Nami unfurl her sail as the guys got their boat ready. It had been decided that Ryuuji and I would share a boat with Nami, which we had declared the girls' property, and since Ryuuji technically belonged to me now seeing as he had attached himself to me, he would ride with us.

"Okay, let's go!" Luffy shouted. Then he noticed our boat's sail. "Hey, that flag has Buggy's mark on it."

"It was those pirates' boat so of course it does. We'll erase it later." Luffy just blinked and we pushed off. When we had gotten several feet from the dock, the mayor ran up.

"STOP RIGHT THERE YOU MORONS!" he bellowed.

"Mister chief!"Luffy said, and we all turned to stare at him as he hunched over panting. Suddenly, he stood up straight, tears in his eyes.

"I'M SORRY! I OWE YOU!" We all grinned.

"DON'T WORRY ABOUT IT!" Luffy shouted back. "JUST LIVE HAPPY LIVES!" As soon as the island was out of sight, Nami seemed to notice something that made her scream with horror.

"WHAT?" she screeched, sounding like a banshee. "YOU LEFT THE TREASURE BEHIND! I GAVE YOU HALF OF IT DIDN'T I! THAT'S FIVE MILLION BELI!" Luffy blinked at her, confused.

"Yeah, but since half of the village was destroyed, it will take some money to repair it." I shook my head at Luffy's innocence, careful not to jostle Ryuuji who was once again perched on my head beneath my hood. Nami yelled wordlessly, lunging at Luffy and trying to force his head under water. "STOP IT! I CAN'T SWIM! IF YOU WANT IT SO BADLY, GO BACK AND TAKE IT FROM THEM!" He flailed helplessly, desperate not to be drowned by the angry ginger.

"HOW COULD I DO THAT!" she roared. "IF YOU EVER DO THAT AGAIN, YOU'RE DEAD!" Zoro and I just laughed as hard as we could, Ryuuji grinning in his little doggy way.

* * *

><p><em><strong>Eh, I suck at fight scenes. . . T_T GAH! I'm so freaking hyper! There was a fight at school today and everybody kinda dropped what they were doing during break and ran to the office where they were going at it. It was pretty cool to see everyone kinda freeze up when the secretary started screaming for the principal over the intercom, then all run for the school. One of my friends said he'd never seen everyone so eager to get to class. I didn't get to see it, my Algebra teacher made us go in the classroom. . . then we spent all period talking about it. XD<strong>_

**SBS**

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	7. Brothers

**Gateways: First Coming**

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter Seven ::: Brothers ::: <strong>

**Aka ::: You Are A Rare And Precious Animal Too :::**

* * *

><p>My body ached.<p>

It wasn't entirely awful, it was a good kind of hurt. The satisfied kind of ache you get from running a mile or something.

However, no matter if it was a good ache or not, my body was _drained_.

Which was why I was less than happy when Luffy woke me up.

"_Hey Kiiiim! Wake uuuup!_" Luffy whined. I groaned and cracked open my eyes to glare at him.

"_Whyyy?_" I asked in the same bratty tone as my captain was using.

"_Let her sleep, Luffy._" Zoro said, frowning at the black haired boy. Oh, I've never been more grateful for Zoro. He deserves a present. Two if he can actually get Luffy to leave me alone. "She's still injured."

"You're right, let's go!" Luffy declared, disappearing into the treeline of the forest, Zoro, Nami, and Ryuuji hot on his heels. When their voices finally faded, I fell back with a content sigh, eyes drifting shut. . .

Only to snap back open as Lady Gaga began blasting through the air. I sat up hurriedly, frantically searching for the source of _Born This Way_. Then I realized that it was coming from me. More specifically, from my pocket.

I stuck my hand in my jacket and rooted around the spacey, junk-filled pocket until my fingers closed around my iPhone. I pulled it out and stared at the number before answering it, fear filling me.

"_KIMIYA ALICEN LEONORE! WHERE THE HELL ARE YOU?_"

I flinched, eyes darting towards the woods nervously. Well, at least I got my wish of talking to my brother. And I'm pretty sure that my charger was in one of my pockets too, so having the battery die wouldn't be a problem. Not that I was going to need it in the future seeing as Kaine was going to come through the phone and kill me.

"Bro?" I asked hesitantly.

"Don't you 'Bro' me! Do you know how worried I've been? We thought you'd been kidnapped or was dead in a ditch somewhere! Ken's been crying his eyes out and Mike's been everywhere looking for you! I've even been out of state to try and find your scrawny ass because those shitty police refuse to do anything! You come home _right **now**_!"

Now that made me angry.

Yes, Kaine did have the right to call me back home. He didn't know where I was or why I didn't come back, but he didn't even give me a chance to explain! He just shouted at me and guilted me about what Ken was going through and how much trouble he and Mike had trying to find me!

It wasn't like I had wanted to leave them and I planned on telling him so.

"Kaine, bro, I'd _love_ to come home, really. But I can't. I'll tell you why if you just shut up and listen. Kay? Good."

I dived into my story, not giving him a chance to speak.

* * *

><p>My brain hurt.<p>

After finally hanging up the phone and ending my brother's call, I fell back to the floor of the tiny boat I was in, running a hand over my eyes. It had felt good to hear my brothers' voices but when there was a great deal of shouting (Kaine) and squealing (Ken) being done on the other end of the line, the good feeling goes away fast. So I was rather annoyed as I finished talking with my family.

It was a mystery how Mike managed to deal with it all. _I _had grown up with all the noise and mood swings and odd personalities. Mike had shown up in Ken's second year of college and just slid right into place with us. It was kind of freaky now that it was in my mind.

Ugh, brothers. How they confuse me so!

I huffed and glared at the clouds, positive that I wouldn't be going back to sleep anytime soon.

With that in mind, I climbed out of the boat and headed into the forest in search of the others.

It didn't take long to reach them, much to my relief. They were all standing in front of a huge wall of rock with Gaimon. I silently took a spot next to Zoro and picked up Ryuuji. The little dog snuggled into the folds of my jacket, sighing happily and falling asleep.

"_I've waited for this moment so long, today is the happiest day of my life._" I smiled slightly, still too annoyed to actually be nice.

"_Okay._" Nami said, putting a hand on Luffy's shoulder. "Go for it!" Luffy gave her an odd look.

"You want me to go up there?" he asked incredulously.

"Of course!" the red head snorted. "Do you think I could climb this?" She waved a hand at the wall.

"I'm counting on you Straw-Hat Kid!" Luffy looked at them for a moment before turning to look at Zoro. He grinned goofily when his eyes landed on me and turned back to the rock wall.

"Okay!" His arm shot up and grabbed onto the top of the cliff, his body following after. Gaimon cried out in shock, watching with wide eyes. There was a moment of silence before Luffy reappeared on the edge of the drop, clutching at a chest. "There really are some treasure chests up here! There are five of them!"

Gaimon grinned toothily and cupped his hands around his mouth before shouting, so that Luffy could hear him better.

"That's great! Quick! Drop them here! But don't hit me!" He laughed happily.

I felt bad for the guy. He had spent a long time stuck in a treasure chest, guarding something that wasn't even there. It was pretty sad.

"No way!" Luffy called back.

"What?" Gaimon and Zoro asked, shocked. Zoro seemed surprised that Luffy would do something like that. Gaimon's question was more of an acceptance.

"What the hell are you talking about?" Nami snapped angrily. "Stop joking around, and drop the treasure chests, NOW! Hurry up and drop them to me!"

"I don't wanna do that!" Luffy shouted back. Nami bristled and Zoro made a noise of understanding.

"Did you finally get it?" I asked quietly. He grunted and nodded, causing me to frown. I wondered why he didn't just say yes instead of making cavemen noises. Unable to understand the workings of a man's mind, I turned back to the others.

"Don't you dare come down here again!"

"Forget about it!" Gaimon urged, attempting to quiet Nami. "It's okay if he doesn't want to drop them here!"

"How can that be okay?" Nami asked, disbelief evident in her brown eyes. "That's your treasure!"

"Nami-san," I said softly, catching her attention. She turned and glared at me, opening her mouth with the intent to chew me out when Gaimon began speaking to Luffy.

"Straw-Hat Kid, you," he called tearfully. "You are a good person." Nami whirled back around to stare at the older man.

"What! How can you say that?" she cried. I guess she still didn't want to accept the fact that pirates could be good people.

"Actually, I've thought about it before. It might be a possibility, but, I always try hard not to think about it." he sobbed. Luffy sat down with a thump on top of the cliff, still holding the empty chest. "The treasure chests. . . are empty aren't they?" Zoro and I turned our heads, pretending not to see his tears. My eyes fixed on a purple rock shaped like a fist.

Nami cried out in alarm as Luffy confirmed the shrub-man's words.

"They're all empty!"

"The treasure in the map, actually did exist. But, by the time we found the map, the treasure had already been taken be other people. . ."

"That's the trouble with treasure maps," Zoro said solemnly. "There's always the chance that someone else has already found it."

"How can that be?" Nami said, leaning back slightly. "The treasure you guarded for 20 years. . . is just a bunch of empty chests!"

Everyone jumped as Luffy burst out laughing.

"Don't be so disappointed, uncle." he grinned. "You meeting us after these twenty years is a really good thing too! 'Cause if it had been 30 years, you might've already been dead!"

"Straw-Hat Kid," Gaimon smiled. Zoro and I exchanged smirks, amused by our silly captain.

"Luffy," Nami murmured.

"Don't worry, there is still the great treasure 'One Piece' waiting for us! Will you join us, uncle?" Zoro raised his eyebrows, not expecting that.

"You, you," Gaimon spluttered, shock coloring his tone. "You're inviting me?" Luffy just grinned and awaited his answer.

* * *

><p>"Uncle," Luffy said as we headed for the boats. "Are you sure? You're really going to stay on this island?"<p>

"Yes!" the man said happily. "Thank you for inviting me, but I still want to be the 'Forest Guardian'."

"Why?" Zoro asked curiously.

"Because there are many rare animals in this forest." he explained.

"You're right!" Nami exclaimed. "We saw a strange snake and pig!"

"And a chicken-dog!" Zoro added.

"There were many people who came to this island for those animals. And after living here for 20 years I've grown to love those animals. I can't leave them behind!"

"You're a rare and precious animal too, uncle!" Luffy said cheerfully, causing Gaimon to snap at him. I stifled a giggle, grinning.

"Now that there are no more treasures, I feel somewhat relieved. I can now live in this island more comfortably."

"It's too bad, you're an interesting person, uncle!" Luffy said ruefully.

"I'm sure you'll find good companions for your crew!" Gaimon said confidently. "And also find the 'One Piece', then buy the world!"

"That's right!" Our captain laughed, throwing an arm around my shoulders and tugging me closer. I yelped and wrapped an arm around his waist, returning the favour. "I can do it! See ya!"

With that said, we climbed into our boats and shoved off, leaving Gaimon-san and his odd animals behind.

Next person to meet, Usopp!

* * *

><p><strong><em>OMG. I haven't updated since April. I'm sooo sorry! Life kind of caught up with me and, between babysitting and camp, I haven't had time to work on this at all. Everytime I tried it came out wrong and I'm still not completely happy with this chapter. I finally got to write this today when I got sick and couldn't go to the beach with the rest of my family. I've also started a companion piece to this story. It's called <em>Gateways: Nakamaship_. It's just a bunch of one-shots for this universe that includes all the OCs and main characters. So be on the lookout for that._**

**SBS**

Evil E. Evil: **_Thank you for Alerting and Favoriting!_**

Azulish: _**Have I mentioned how much I love hearing from you? Hm, I thought using 'warm' and 'wet' for describing the blood would be the only way to describe it, but you make a good point. As for most of the punctuation, it comes from directly from the manga. I'm not sure if it's correct or not, but I felt that using it would be better than using my poor grammar skills. You've pointed out a few mistakes that I ****should have noticed, which shows how bad I am at English.**_

_**Your question about Kim fighting OCs is a good one and something that I've been waiting to answer. Will she be fighting against OCs in major batttles? Sometimes. If there's someone left over from the original story, she's probably face him/her. If there's absolutely no one I can use, then yes, she'll be fighting an OC. I should also point out that not all of the OCs will be bad (ex. Dacio). That'll become evident in the Captain Kuro and Baratie arcs.**_

_**Thank you so much for the super long review! I enjoy critisim as much as I love compliments. Both help me get better at writing! And thank you for Favoriting!**_

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EdroGrimshell:**_ Thank you for Story Alerting! She's not a homunculus technically. Just undead/immortal. 'Humanity' is a bit of an argued thing in the world of One Piece. There's a lot of confusion going on about it, especially for Chopper and a few others. Chopper just calls himself a monster so Kim will have to decide what she is later._**

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santa-san: _**Ryuuji is adorable! He's based off of my own dog, Ziggy. Here's a Ryuuji plushie to make you feel better! [gives]**_

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	8. Landfall

**Gateways: First Coming**

**Chapter Eight ::: Landfall :::**

**Aka ::: Captain Usopp Enters :::**

**Aka ::: Things That You Can't Lie About :::**

**Aka ::: 800 Lies :::**

**Aka ::: Captain Kuro's Plan :::**

* * *

><p><em>"Hey Nami, shouldn't we plan things more?"<em>

It had been quite some time since we left Gaimon's Island and Nami still hadn't started the next adventure with her need to plan. Being the impatient person I am, I decided to give her a little push. Nami blinked at me and swung around to look at the guys.

_"Kim-san's right!"_ she exclaimed firmly. "We need to plan things more!"

Luffy turned to look at her. _"What do you mean?"_ Nami frowned.

"Are we going to the Grand Line like _this_?" she asked incredulously. Luffy perked up.

"Oh, that's right! Although Uncle Cabbage gave us plenty of fruits, we still don't have any meat on this ship!" Nami face palmed, making me grin at the realization that this really was an anime. I wonder if I can break the fourth wall? Hi people watching or reading this! What's your favorite color? Anyways, I decided to help Nami out.

"She's not talking about food, Lulu." I chuckled. Luffy smiled sweetly at the use of his new nickname. "I believe what Nami-san is trying to say is that the Grand Line is a dangerous place to be caught unprepared. Before we head out, it'd be wise to get a ship and some more crew members. That reminds me, can we get a blond cook? One that walks like a duck?"

Nami nodded in agreement.

"Kim-san's right for the most part, though I have no clue about the cook thing."

"So, what do we do?" Luffy asked, tipping his head to the side.

_"Get lots of sake?"_ Zoro suggested. Ryuuji wagged his tail.

_"Bones too?"_

"Boys," I warned. Zoro rolled his eyes at me while my puppy just blinked cutely. Nami ignored them.

"We have to prepare first, and plan for the journeys ahead. There's a village due north. We should go there first! First thing to do when we get there is to look for a better ship."

"And eat some meat!" Luffy cheered triumphantly.

I grinned. "Shall I make a list then?"

* * *

><p>"Wow!" Luffy exclaimed as he surveyed the land. "There's really an island here!"<p>

"Of course there is, Lulu." I laughed, hopping onto the warm sand.

"We followed the map so it won't be wrong!" Nami sniffed.

"Is there a village here?" our captain asked suddenly. Nami looked at her map with an affectionate smile - for the map, not Luffy.

"Uh huh! Looks like there's a small village!"

We all took the chance to stretch our arms and legs. Ryuuji let out a few happy barks and butted my knees with his shoulder.

"Been a long time since I last stood on firm ground. . ." Zoro groaned.

"That's because you were sleeping all the time!" Luffy laughed. The swordsman straightened up and glanced at the cliff tops with a serious expression.

"By the way," he said. "I just noticed a moment ago. . . What are those guys doing there?" he pointed at Usopp and his gang. They all shrieked in fear and the three little boys took off running. Usopp shouted after them before turning to look at us nervously.

_"I am the great pirate fleet leader, Usopp, who is in charge of the security of this village. I'm also known as captain, Captain Usopp!"_ He came down to stand in front of us. "It's best if you don't try to attack this village, because my 80 million men are not going to forgive you!"

"Liar," Nami and I scoffed.

"Waa! I've been caught!" Usopp shouted, clutching his head. Nami sweat dropped.

"See, you even said it yourself!"

"Arghh!" the liar flailed around a bit. "Did I just say that? Bad planning! Bad planning indeed!"

Luffy burst out laughing and, and is the case with most bouts of laughter, I couldn't help but join in. I'd never been to good at being serious while other were acting silly.

"You're so funny!" my captain giggled, clutching his stomach. The sniper bristled.

"Don't underestimate me! I am a man with high self-esteem! And everyone calls me 'Honorable Usopp'!"

Despite his anger with us, we were seated in a tavern with him not ten minutes later, acting like old friends. Funny what a few intimidation techniques and a mention of a certain pirate crew can do.

"What? Looking for companions?" Usopp exclaimed once we explained why we were here. I stabbed at my chicken salad as I listened to the conversation. Ryuuji sat by my feet gnawing on a bone as long as my forearm. "So you're looking for companions and a ship?"

Luffy took a bite out of a giant chicken leg. "Yup!" The long nosed boy grinned in excitement.

"Oh! Sounds like a big adventure!"

"I'm sure it will be." I said, standing and catching every one's attention. "Which is why I'm going to go buy some things." Zoro frowned at me.

"How are you going to buy anything? You don't have any money." I grinned at him.

"Ask me no questions and I shall tell you no lies my dear moss head. Chao!" I raced out of the restaurant before he realized what I called him.

I had a few reasons for not sticking around. One, i didn't want to see Kuro. I might get myself killed trying to attack him when he pisses off Usopp. I always got angry whenever he pretended to be a good butler. Two, I really did want to go shopping. Clothes and journals were essential. Our adventures would be long and eventful. One measly journal just wasn't going to cut it.

* * *

><p>"I thought you'd be here!"<p>

I barely twitched as Nami scrambled across the rocks to me.

"Yes~?" I sang in an ominous tone, hoping to have some fun and freak her out.

It seemed somewhat effective, making her pause and offer me a confused look. I smiled in return.

"Uh," Nami said intelligently. I unfolded myself from my lotus-position and stretched.

"My humor is lost on you." I announced, hopping off my boulder to stand beside her. "Do you require anything?"

"Have you seen Luffy?" she sighed, probably deciding not to deal with my oddness. "Something happened earlier and we haven't seen him since."

I shook my head and linked arms with her.

"Fill me in on the way, okay?"

* * *

><p><strong>AN: Oh mah gosh! This is so freaking short. *tears out hair* SORRY! I can't even bear to be here right now! SORRY SORRYSORRYSOOOOOOORRYYYYY! *dies***


	9. Before the Storm

**Yosh! I'm back!**

**Gateways: First Coming**

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter Nine ::: Before the Storm :::<strong>

**Aka ::: The Plot :::**

* * *

><p>He shuddered at the smell of a billion rotting corpses. His frail body curled in on itself, trying to become smaller and less noticeable. It wasn't easy, but he had years of practice. He was horribly thin and his once light blond hair was matted to his skull. His tan had long since left, leaving his skin bleached bone white. He looked like something from a horror story.<p>

Any normal person would have broken by now. Broken from ten years of pure Hell. But he was strong. He would not break. He wouldn't. He had people waiting for him, dreams to be made real! But first, he had to get out of this damn Gate.

He raised his eyes to the dark stone.

The next time the red haired boy returned, he would escape.

He had to.

* * *

><p>Family is strange. You can do just about anything to them and expect to be forgiven. Because that's what family does. Loves and forgives. And while Zoro and I haven't exactly reached family status yet, I believe that we're well on our way to becoming friends.<p>

"_I'm going to kill you!_"

Well, frenemies at the least.

And who says that families never want to kill each other at times?

Zoro glared at me as he attempted to wipe his dripping face off with his soaked shirt.

I almost drooled.

Abs. They're sexy. I think I'm having a fangirlism. Nobody revive me. I can die happily now. Guhhh. . .

I clutched my empty water bottle to my chest as Zoro chased after me. I laughed and blew him a raspberry as he missed yet again. It was way too easy for me. Zoro really was like Kaine. Their attacks were so similar, I didn't even have to think about how to evade Zoro's swipes. I was just grateful he wasn't using his swords. It's not like I'd die from them, but it's the thought that counts. Right? Maybe we really were on our way to becoming friends. Or Zoro knew Luffy would be pissed if he stabbed his nakama. Damn. That's depressing.

BAM!

I howled along with Zoro as Nami bopped us on the head. She's got a strong fist! I hate being the comical relief. Now I can see how she puts Luffy in his place so easily!

"_Stop acting like a couple of eight year olds!_" She snapped. I offered her a wounded expression. "Luffy's missing and you wanna act stupid? Why did I join such a bunch of idiots?"

"Damn you, Nami!" Zoro growled. I was still on the ground writhing in pain.

The three kids that made up Usopp's 'crew' stared at Nami with horror. Poor kids. They already thought she was a witch. Luckily for them and their probably overactive imaginations, they got distracted.

"_Ah! That's the captain!_" they cried in unison. I gotta hand it to them, they're good at doing stuff together.

Zoro rubbed his head and followed their gazes.

"Wasn't Luffy with them?" he asked, leaning on the fence like Nami. I ceased my wiggling as Ryuuji padded over to me and wagged his tail.

"_Are you alright senpai?_" he barked. I rubbed his ears half-heartedly. At least someone around here cared about me.

"_Aa, well enough considering Nami's got a fist of steel._"

"Kim-san!" Speak of the devil. . . "Quit complaining about me to your dog and get up! We're going to the shore to find Luffy!"

I did as she ordered and got up. However, I did so with mumbles about 'bitchy navigators' who were 'obviously related to demons'!

Nami took it well enough.

She only threw three rocks at my head. And I managed to dodge that last one.

* * *

><p>Finding Luffy turned out to be easy enough.<p>

He was sleeping on his head at the beach, acting like a corpse.

"Is he dead?" Nami cried in horror. After all, she couldn't make a profit off a dead man, right?

"Nah, he's snoozing!" I declared cheerfully, crouching next to the rubberman and poking him. Luffy's skin was really fun to mess with. It was soft like mushy gum, but more resilient. Like a tire or something else rubbery and sturdy. What? I ran out of polite comparisons.

"Hey, Lulu! They've got a ton of meat out here! Want it?"

He shot up, nostrils flaring. Whoa, he looks like a hippo. . .

Nami, Zoro, and the Veggie kids sweatdropped at him. Ryuuji barked at him happily.

Luffy grinned back at him.

"_I'm fine, Ryuuji! So, where's the meat?_"

Nami eyed him oddly.

"Luffy. . . did you just talk to the dog?" she said slowly. I shot her an angry glare, offended.

Apparently. Luffy and I were the only ones who could understand Ryuuji. For her to ask a question like that, in that tone, was an insult. It insinuated that we were crazy and, why it might be true for Luffy, I wasn't insane. Even if I did see the Gate occasionally and handled stuff better than I should.

It was called compartmentalizing dammit!

"He was asking a question, _Nami_! Good Gaga! Don't be so rude!" I swung around, intent on ignoring her. Sometimes, she just pissed me off.

"I don't understand you two." Zoro said suddenly, causing everyone to turn and stare at him. "You get along one minute and the next you're at each other's throats!"

I glanced at Nami and shrugged.

"It's entertaining, I guess. It's a rivalry thing. Girls fight." That earned me a weird look from Zoro and a confused stare from the rest of the boys.

"That's strange." I shook my head at their lack of understanding and sat down on one of the rocks.

"You'll know what I mean when you've got a rival of your own."

Nami rolled her eyes and sighed. Poor thing, she can't understand idiot speak like I can.

"So what happened here, anyways?" she wondered, turning to look at Luffy. The rubberboy blinked and adjusted his hat absentmindedly.

"Well," he said, then launched into a rather confused explanation. And, seeing as it was sweet, clueless Luffy in his usual simpleness, I wasn't too worried about brain damage being the cause for all of his questions about his own explanation. At least, not too worried.

However, the kids were. But not about Lulu's chances of having brain damage from his fall.

No, they were worried about Kaya.

"What!" Carrot screeched. The other boys followed with their own exclamations of disbelief.

Luffy confirmed their horrors with a shrug.

"Yup," he said, crossing his arms. "That's what they said. No doubt about it!"

"Kind of an odd place to take a nap, isn't it?" Zoro queried, surveying the rocky beach with a certain amount of disgust. I rolled my eyes at him.

"Says the narcoleptic swordsman who can fall asleep anywhere." He glared at me as Luffy answered his rhetorical question.

"It's strange. I thought I was on _top_ of the cliff."

The three boys turned to each other and began freaking out. Nami tried to comfort them by saying that the village would have to evacuate, but that sent them running for home, intent on going into hiding themselves.

"O-OI! Ryuuji-kun! Why're you going with them?" I sweatdropped as my little dog took off with the Veggie Trio. "Say, Nami-san, did the fact that no one would believe Usopp ever come to mind. After all, he is the village _liar_, right?"

"Opps," our ginger haired navigator said sheepishly. Luffy laughed.

* * *

><p>The red head was back. This was his chance. He wouldn't be stuck here for the rest of eternity, he wouldn't!<p>

The giant stone rumbled as they parted to let the Homunculus home. The skeletal blond took his chance and sprinted for the doors, adreneline giving him the strength he didn't have anymore.

Closer. . . closer. . . closer. . . **THERE!**

He wass out.

He was free.

He was. . . utterly lost.

"_Where the hell am I?_" he croaked, voice hoarse from many years of disuse.

The expanse of white space stretched out before him in a never ending horizon. His eyes were starting to ache from the lack of color already.

* * *

><p><strong>AN: I swear the next chapter will be longer. This Arc is really getting to me. -_- Anyone who can figure out who the new character is before the next chapter comes out will get a one-shot. Oh, and there's a bunch of art for this story on my DA page. I go by Dreami-chwan there:) And go read One Piece: Magician On Board and Dragon Slaying Pirate. I've really come to like them. ^_^ Chao!**

**SBS:**

**Thanks for Favoriting or Alerting**: shanksXbrookfan6, Kine X, jabbarulez, MangaMagic, MusicOfMadness, KuroHi91, hazelstorm92, Sylanc, kawaiipandaz, and Bleachfan462!

Kine X:**Thank you~!**

santa-san: **Thank you! I'm not worthy. . . I can't get over the shortness of my chapters. . . *hides in Tamaki's Emo Corner***

MangaMagic: **Thanks for the review!**

KuroHi91: **I think I answered all your questions, didn't I? As for the enemy alchemist. . . well, I've got plans:) And Akako isn't exactly a good guy.**


	10. Battle of the Beach

**Gateways: First Coming**

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter Ten ::: Battle of the Beach :::<strong>

**Aka ::: Information Based :::**

* * *

><p>Later, while Zoro, Nami, and Luffy were out searching for Usopp, Ryuuji and I went back to the other beach.<p>

We managed to find a small cove to stash our boats in, but it wasn't big enough to hold much else. I left my electronics and jacket back on the girls' boat and swam back to shore with Ryuuji. I didn't want my stuff getting damaged, after all, they're my only connection to home.

The moon had risen by the time I met back with the others. Ryuuji stayed back at the other beach and would come to us when the pirates started to arrive. We had taken Usopp's idea and covered the slope with oil like I'm sure we'd do to this one. After all, it was good to cover all of your bases. However, don't ask how we got the oil. Just. . . Don't.

"_I love this village! I've got to protect my neighbors!"_ I grinned to myself. Just in time to offer my help. I quickly schooled my features into something more serious. Usopp buried his face in his hands. "There's not much time to plan. But I refuse to let everyone get murdered."

And that's all it took to get Luffy's attention. So, we offered our help. . . And made the poor guy cry. But, hey, you can't have everything.

After that, I dragged Usopp off to the side and discussed a few battle techniques with him. We agreed on the 'oil slick' plan among _other_ things. Eventually we broke apart and turned to the others.

"They'll attack from this beach." Usopp pointed out the slope as we walked back up it. "And this is the route to the village. They'll have to come up this pass. Everywhere else is just sheet cliffs. So, if we can defend this path, the village will be safe."

"_However,_" I broke in, catching everyone's attention. "We couldn't leave out the possibility that they might attack from the other beach we arrived at. Ryuuji's over there now and will come to us if the pirates show. So be prepared to fight here and at the other beach if that's what we need to do."

Usopp nodded. "So, what can you guys do?"

"_I cut._"

"_I stretch._"

"_I steal._"

"I transmute."

"I run and hide."

Luffy, Nami and Zoro jumped on him for that.

Once we were done spreading the oil over the slope, I sat myself down on the edge of the cliff and stared out at the water. There was a rustle as Zoro sat down beside me. For a moment, there was silence.

"So, what exactly are you?"

I smiled to myself. I'd been waiting for this question ever since I met him.

"It is a little weird isn't it? My abilities?" I didn't look at him, but felt him tense. He really was sitting close to me.

"You died. Twice."

"You're short a death but that's alright." I peered at him from the corner of my eye. "I don't know what I am and I can't tell you how I got this way, but I /can/ tell you that I'm not at all happy about it."

"Hn," Zoro grunted.

"I freak you, don't I?" I laughed a bit, quietly. "I'm sorry."

Zoro was quiet. Then. . .

"Just a little."

That tore another laugh from me, but my good humor was cut short with Ryuuji's arrival.

"_They're coming!_" he howled. I leapt to my feet, Zoro following my example.

"They're at the other beach! Hurry guys! Zoro, which way to the beach?"

"Hm, that way." I nodded and pointed in the opposite direction he wanted to go in.

"Right then, head that way!" The swordsman bristled at my orders. I grabbed his hand and started dragging him to the other beach. "Don't want you getting lost, do we now?"

"Screw you, Kim!"

When we finally reached the beach, we were all out of breath and somewhat annoyed. After all, we'd been waiting at the wrong beach. Well, that's what they were annoyed about. I was pissed because I kept having to turn around and drag Zoro-baka in the right direction.

"Good Gaga we need to get you a good GPS."

"There's already an oil slick here!" Usopp exclaimed. I flashed him a grin.

"Great minds think alike and all that jazz, right Usopp-san?" He gave me an odd look and I got a little worried by that calculating gaze. Usopp may be a coward and a liar, but he wasn't stupid. He might actually learn some stuff about me that I don't want him to. Well, if he can do that, good for him. But if he tells the others, I chop his nose off.

"Pay attention! We're about to fight here!" Nami snapped. Usopp and I jumped to attention.

"Hai, Nami-sama!"

The Black Cat pirates took the shore with swords drawn and louds shouts of 'Argh'. The six of us spread out to make a line just before the oil slick. If slippery black liquid didn't stop them, we would.

The first wave of pirates were taken care of easily enough. They slipped and slid on the oil slick and knocked into each other enough to knock each other unconcious and cause some pretty nasty bruises.

"_Hold on!_" Jango shouted, making his crew stop and look at him. "They're the ones who overheard our plans! What do you want?"

"Leave this island and never come back! We're a fiercesome army with a hundred million others waiting to back us up!" I sweatdropped along with the others at Usopp's lie. Luffy and Ryuuji turned to him with awestruck looks.

"Awesome!" they squealed.

"Lulu! Ryuuji-san! Focus!" I snapped.

All of the Black Cat pirates saw through Usopp's lie with the exception of Jango. But he's an idiot. He doesn't count.

Usopp was shaking in his boots and jumped a mile when I attempted to ruffle his hair.

Guh, the curls. I want them. What? I like guys with curly hair. Like Darren Criss. Yum. . .

Ah! Back to the point!

"Don't worry about it, dude!" I grinned, mimicking Luffy's trademark smile. "You've got us fighting with you. We haven't lost a fight yet!" That seemed to toughen him up a bit, but not by much.

"Kim-san," Nami murmured, coming up behind me. "Where are the boats?"

"Hidden in a safe cove in the cliff wall. Don't worry about them. Think about the treasure waiting in the big ship."

I could almost hear Nami's mental register ding and I moved away from her as her eyes turned into Beli signs. Creepy. . .

"Money!" she drooled. At least she was motivated.

Jango seemed fed up with us because he pulled out his little blade thing and began to swing it. That caused Nami and I to go around slapping the guys and giving them explicit orders /not to look at the pendulum/! Seriously, they were just standing there staring at it. Luffy and Ryuuji I can understand. They're kind of stupid. But I thought Zoro and Usopp had a little more sense than that!

However, this action caused some arguments to rise amoung us. Zoro and I were shouting at each other about his moronicness and lack of direction, Nami and Usopp were arguing over who was more frightened, and Luffy and Ryuuji were arguing about the best kind of meat. The little dog was fighting a loosing battle there.

"_They forgot about us,_" the Black Cat pirates mumbled. They shook off the shock and charged up the slope, digging their weapons into the ground and dragging themselves up it.

Zoro, Luffy and I knocked back the first twenty or so when they tried to get in a few swipes at us.

"DON'T INTERUPT OUR FIGHTS!"

"Geez," I growled, cracking my somewhat sore knuckles. "How rude!"

"Take this!" Usopp and Nami shouted, throwing a dozen little spiked balls down the slope. They were extremely effective, causing the pirates to let go of their weapons in favor of their feet and fall down the slope.

"Good work guys!" Lulu and I cheered. Usopp swelled with pride and loaded his slingshot.

"Namari-Bashii!" he shouted, letting the bullet fly. It hit one of the more stubborn pirates in the face and sent him backwards.

And so, the fight began! I could also here the first opening theme playing around us!

* * *

><p>The Gate was in an uproar.<p>

One of their souls had escaped.

Akako scowled as he set off into the whitespace. Honestly, how many places could a soul hide when there was no place _to_ hide?

After several hours of straight walking, he came across a splash of color.

Damn, the escaped soul had discovered a way out. As he peered down into the world below, he felt like swearing up a storm. However, he was an emotionless bastard so that would be extremely out of character for him.

Instead, he made a disapproving noise in the back of his throat as he jumped down into the blaze of humanity.

The Homunculus glared at the many humans bustling around him in a happy chatter.

Louge Town. Of all places, why did the escapee flee to the one place where he could hide.

Akako's job just got a little tougher.

First Kim escaped him and now that blond bastard too? Maybe he was losing his touch.

* * *

><p>Taking care of the pirates was pretty easy. One blow from Luffy and Zoro sent about twenty of them flying at once. I could deal with about ten at the most and compared to those two monsters, it wasn't very impressive.<p>

Jango growled at us.

"We don't have the time to waste here! Since our opponent is strong, we must become stronger. Watch my pendulum and after I say '1, 2, Jango' you guys will become stronger and your wounds will heal!"

"Using hypnotism to make his men stronger, bah!" I snorted. "What a dirty way to do it!"

Zoro grunted his agreement.

"This is absurd!" Nami cried in disbelief. "Hypnotism isn't real!"

"UWOOOOOH!"

"Nami you asshole!" I shouted as the Black Cat pirates raced back after us, the oil seeming to no longer hinder them. "You jinxed us!"

"No way!" she screeched, hiding behind me. Usopp clung to my arm. I winced at his slightly painful grip.

"'Fraidy cats." I grumbled, prying the sniper off of me. He re-doubled his efforts when one of the mindless pirates broke part of the cliff wall.

"He crushed the wall!" Zoro bellowed, one hand over Luffy's eyes. The rubbed captain swatted him away and turned to look at the damage himself, brown eyes wide. "How did they gain so much strength?"

"Awesome!" Luffy shrieked.

"GO GET THEM!" Jango shouted. Zoro unsheathed his sword.

"You two go back up the slope." he ordered the two cowards attatched to me. "We'll take care of this."

I glanced over at Ryuuji and found him on the ground, paws firmly over his eyes.

"You too, Ryuuji-san!" He barked and ran to sit with the navigator and sharpshooter.

Once they were safely out of the way, the three of us charged the hypnotized pirates, cutting them down and bashing them unconcious. Half-way down the slope, I transmutated myself a baseball bat and started taking them out with that. One good blow to the head seemed to do them in, like zombies, but less dead. I didn't hit hard enough to kill. Getting trapped in the whitespace and seeing the guys I killed get sucked into the Gate would have done me in. I only hoped that Zoro and Luffy didn't kill anyone either.

"Hey, Luffy!" I shouted. He turned away from his fallen opponents, a result of the Gomu Gomu Gatling Gun, and waved to acknowledge that he heard me. "Try ripping the bow off and using it to take some of them out!" He grinned happily and let out a loud yell as he charged down the slope. The Black Cat pirates fled from him with tears in their eyes.

Everyone stopped to stare at him as he ripped the bow off, muscles bulging in his arms, veins popping with the effort.

"Go Luffy!" the three at the top shouted.

"Wahh! He's destroying our ship!" Jango wailed.

"Captain! Help us!" The pirates cried, running from the excited rubberman.

"Luffy! Take out Jango! But don't look at him!"

"Alright!" he laughed, squeezing his eyes shut and swinging at the oddly dressed man. Jango screamed as the cat head hit him and sent him flying up the slope. He disappeared into the woods, crashing into trees and bushes.

"Alright!" I yelled, pumping my fist triumphantly.

"Nyaban Brothers!" Jango shouted weakly from the forest. "Take the swordsman and the dark haired girl out!"

I grinned darkly to myself.

Finally, some real action!

* * *

><p>Back in Louge Town, the blond who escaped from the Gate slumped down an alley wall, panting in exhaustion.<p>

"_You look like shit._" a strange voice said bluntly. The blond stared at him blankly. "You got a name, man?"

Did he? Have a name? He couldn't remember.

The blond shook his head.

"Hm," the stranger hummed, shoving his dark brown hair out of his eyes. "I'm Rollo. Mind if I call you Sabellius, seeing as you ain't got a name an' all?"

The blond's lips quirked up in a smile.

"_Sure, nice to meet you Rollo._"

Rollo grinned and offered the newly dubbed Sabellius a muscular hand.

"C'mon. Let's get you cleaned up. And some clothes."

* * *

><p><strong>AN: Yosh! I'm pumped up now! Next chapter should finish up this arc and then it's on to the Baratie! Expect to see more of Rollo and 'Sabellius' in the future. Sabe's gonna be really important later on:)**

**SBS!**

**Thank you for Favoriting and Alerting:** Alexsasha, nightange1, and kenegi!

santa-san: **Ouch! My forehead!**

**Ryuuji: *wags tail* Thank you~! Yum!**

Kine X: **Thank you:)**

kenegi:** Nah, Hidan's too cool for her:) But she and Nami do fight, and Nami's the money lover of the bunch . . . And she won't abuse the whole lead into gold thing (too much). And the Gate's like a big cellphone tower, which is why the phone works.**

nightange1:** I'm getting kind of impatient for them to go to the Grand Line myself. Maybe I need to speed things up some:)**


	11. Voices

**Gateways: First Coming**

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter Eleven ::: Voices ::: <strong>

**Aka ::: The Truth :::**

* * *

><p>Rollo turned out to be the owner of a small tavern. Luckily, it was on the rough side of town about as far away from the Marine headquarters as it could get, so no one gave Sabellius and his trenchcoat a second look.<p>

The tavern was called Jobuna (Durable), which seemed like a proper name for the tattered building.

Sabellius grinned at the cozy interior and felt at home surrounded by the warm colors.

"My wife decorated the place when we moved in here." Rollo grunted, lighting up an odd looking cigarette. Sabo blinked at the rather sweet smell that floated up from it, but decided not to ask. "She and my son passed away a while ago. Some of his clothes might fit you."

"My condolenses." Sabe murumered quietly.

Rollo shrugged.

"It's in the past. The bathroom's down the hall to the left. I'll leave the clothes outside."

"Thank you." Rollo looked embarrased at the blond's words.

"Yeah, yeah."

Sabe smiled after his retreating figure.

* * *

><p>"Yosh!" I cried. "I call the skinny bitch!"<p>

"H-hey!" Sham cried 'fearfully'. "W-who're you calling a b-bitch!"

"You, asshole! Don't make me call you something degrading!"

"Ha, she's going to be the first to die." one of the fallen pirates coughed.

"Psssh, as if I'd lose to a clawless kitten like that!" I sneered, making Zoro scowl at me.

"Captain! We can't possibly beat them!" Sham cried, waving his hands like a man cat.

"Yeah, those guys look really strong!" Buchi agreed.

"Uraagh! Would you shut up already! I'm tired of this damn arc!" Luckily for me, I shouted that last part in English so no one understood. Taking advantage of their momentary shock, I rushed at the two of them.

"Heh," Sham smirked, right before my bat was about to collide with his face. I staggered as I missed my target and went face first into the sand. "You really think a little girl like you can beat me?"

"Shit!" I swore and quickly flipped myself over, just in time to catch Buchi's foot with my face.

"Kim!" came the collective shout from up the beach. I threw Buchi's foot off of me and moved away from them as fast as I could. I grimaced as I popped my nose back into place with an almightly crack(!).

"My nose better not be crooked after that!" I snapped, spitting out a glob of blood. My nose was already itchy as hell since it had already begun the advanced healing process. "Right then, I underestimated you just now. Be sure it won't happen again!" My fist crackled violently as I popped my knuckles.

"Damn it Kim!" Zoro growled around the Wado, charging Buchi. I let out a yell as I charged Sham yet again.

"Abfuhren!" I cried, pumping the bat full of alchemic energy. Sham moved out of the way of my attack again, but I manged to clip him with the tip of the bat and give him a pretty nasty burn. "Heh, gotcha!"

Sham glared at me. "Lucky shot, girlie." I stuck my tounge out at him childishly.

Meanwhile, Zoro was holding his own against Buchi. He rolled out of the way from his Drop Down attack and gritted his teeth around the Wado's hilt.

"That was close," he panted. "It'll be no joke if I get hit by him! Even my bones would be shattered. And I'm not as indestructable as Kim-gaki."

"Hey! Shut up Zoro-baka! And I'll take that indestructable thing as a compliment!" I screeched back at him, waving my arms around maniaclly.

"This time I won't let her escape!" Sham yowled.

"Of course!" Buchi agreed. "I won't either!"

"Hehe, you ready for this, Zoro-baka?" I smirked, readjusting my grip on the bat.

"Just shut up and do something, Kim-gaki!"

We slammed our backs together and faced down our respective opponets with blood thirsty grins.

"CAT ATTACK!" Buchi and Sham shouted together.

"Verglast (Glazed)!" I concentrated the alchemic energy onto the very tip of the bat and the soles of my shoes.

"Donatsu (Doughnuts)!" The wind swept around Zoro and I in a wild ring of air.

* * *

><p>"Huh, they fit perfectly." Sabe murmured. Rollo smirked in satisfaction.<p>

"Thought they might."

Sabe adjusted his high collar and ran his hand over the scruffy fluff growing on his face.

Rollo's son seemed to favor high collared jackets and dark sweaters with equally dark pants. Sabe's feet were a bit too big so he was borrowing a pair if boots from Rollo until he got his own.

"Thank you, I dont know how to repay you." Sabe said sincerely. Rollo snorted and lit up another cigarette.

"How about becoming my bartender? You know anything about running a bar?" Sabe grinned.

"A bit."

He had a feeling that this was Rollo's way of helping him without outright saying it.

* * *

><p>The result of our combined attack was almost frightening.<p>

My alchemic energy focused on the tip of the bat had gotten caught in the air circling us, illuminating the slope with an eerie light.

Not only did our attack halt Buchi and Sham's offensive, it caused an explosion that completely destroyed the ground around us and mangled the cliff wall. Miraculously, Zoro and I were uninjured, apart from a few shrapnel scratches. The same couldn't be said for the Nyaban brothers, who caught the brunt of the explosion.

They were scorched and their faces were blackened with dust and ash. I flashed them a cocky grin, which was answered by a one fingered salute.

"Nami!" I shouted. "Now's your chance! Go for the treasure!"

The ginger haired girl gave me a short nod and took off down the slope. The Nyaban brothers made a move to attack her, but Zoro and I quickly intercepted them.

"Gack!" came the frightened cough of the freak with the heart shaped glasses. I frowned. When would he give up and pass out? Damn! "I-I can explain!"

Zoro, frustrated with the Nyaban's lack of focus on us, turned to see what they were staring at as they shook in their boots. I bit my tounge in an attempt to stay quiet and turned to look too.

Luffy was already walking past us, intent on kicking Kuro's ass. Seems he already knows who he has to beat for this fight to be over.

"It has been pretty long since dawn. I was wondering why the plan wasn't carried out. WHAT THE HELL HAPPENED?"

I stuck my pinkie in my ear and twisted it a bit.

"Damn, there goes my hearing. It's a wonder if none of the villagers heard him!"

Zoro kicked me in the shin, looking slightly anxious. I briefly wondered what the hell his problem was before deciding he hadn't been with Luffy long enough to have complete faith in him. I think he was worried about Kuro killing me for my bug mouth. Which, in all honesty, was liable to happen. I hated Kuro and would probably tell him that sooner or later.

The slick haired bastard went on to scold his crew viciously. I got bored with him after two seconds and just tuned his annoying voice out.

Instead, I examined my nails.

"Kim, pay attention." Zoro growled, pulling my hand away from my line of sight. I pouted at him and yanked my appendage from his grasp.

"I don't wanna," I whinned, sounding a lot like Kenny. We're very much a like when you put us side by side to compare.

"YOU'RE NO LONGER OUR CAPTAIN!" Sham suddenly shrieked, making me jump on Zoro in shock.

"This is a very Scooby-Doo situation." I grinned, leaning in his face to an uncomfortable degree. The green haired swordsman scowled at me.

"Get down."

"Ah, the similarities you share with my brother, Kaine, are almost frightening. Do you have an unhealthy obsession with waffles too?"

WHUMP!

"Hey, look at that." Zoro muttered, as if he hadn't just dropped me on my ass like the rude bastard he was. Nevertheless, I looked.

Our little interaction had caused us to miss quite a bit of action. Sham and Buchi had already attacked, lost the one-sided fight, and were being held at swordpoint by Kuro.

I saw red.

Betrayal is not something I held in high regard. Traitors were the one thing in the world that I hated above all else. People like that, who so blatantly disregarded the bonds between nakama without any regrets were absolutely horrible scum. People like that, people like Kuro and Marshall D. Teach, they deserved to die.

**So why not kill him yourself,** a dark little voice whispered in my head. It giggled madly. **The world would be better off without him, wouldn't it. And the feeling you could get from killing him. Can you feel the power, the idea of being better than someone who is nothing. Worthless! Do it, Leonore. Kill him. Kill him! Do it! DO IT NOW! DO -**

"Kim!"

Zoro's voice brought me back to earth. I blinked at him, wide-eyed with shock at what had just happened. Where did that voice come from? And what the hell was wrong with it?

"Wha-?" Zoro growled and shook my shoulder.

"They're about to attack! Move your ass!"

"R-right." I mumbled, charging up my bat. It's thicker end thinned out and grew to a point, becoming a spear.

"Tora Gari!" (Tiger Hunt)

"Kampfer Werfen!" (Gladiator Toss)

The Nyaban brothers hit the ground, Buchi slashed up and Sham with various stab wounds decorating him. He was still alive, but just barely. I staggered over to the side of the cliff and slid down it, totally exhausted.

"Kim?" Zoro asked around the Wado. I waved him off.

"Do what you want." He shrugged and turned to the pirates who had gotten back up when Kuro arrived.

"The Nyaban brothers are -" the Black Cat pirates wailed, their last hope at defeating us gone.

"Don't worry," Zoro sneered. "Within five minutes, I'll kill all of you! With no exceptions!"

"Oh, please don't." I groaned quietly to myself. "I don't think I could handle the Gate so many times."

After that, I sort of drifted in and out of conciousness.

**We could help you, you know.** the voice from before hissed. **Just let us have control. All we'd need is five minutes. Just five. You could be invincible.** Something told me it would be a very _bad_ idea to trust the voice.

_As if,_ I snorted, shoving it from my mind.

"KURO!" Luffy bellowed, getting pumped up.

Finally, it was time to end this bitch!

"Klahador! Stop it!"

Then again . . .

Luffy looked just as frustrated as I felt. However, he gave Kaya the chance to confront Kuro for herself.

"KAYA!" Usopp shouted, shocked by her presence. "Why - why are you here?"

There was a great deal of chatter from the pirates below on the beach.

"We don't have to go to the village?"

"We can kill her here!"

"Don't even think about it, you dumbasses!" I snapped, glaring at them viciously. They shrank back, cowering under the intensity of my glare.

"Scary eyes . . ." one of them whimpered.

"They remind me of that hawk-eyed man." another said, shivering.

I ignored them in favor of what was happening and almost missed Zoro's calculating look.

"You surprised me, Miss Kaya. What are you doing here?"

My temper flared at his casual questioning and the flames that were feeding it only grew as he went on to completely destroy the poor girl's image of him. Unfortunetally, the shock seemed to be getting to her. She was visibly shaking and sweat was rolling down her face like it was raining and she didn't have an umbrella.

"LEAVE THIS VILLAGE!" she screamed, pulling out a pistol of an older model.

She probably would have shot him too, if he hadn't opened his mouth and began breaking down her already poor strength.

Then he delivered the final blow to her faith.

"I suffered waiting for so long, all this is so that I can kill you today!"

Usopp growled angrily, looking like tha very vision of 'mad as Hell'.

Kuro kept talking, causing Kaya to start crying, the pistol dropping from her hands.

Eventually, both Usopp and I had enough.

"JUST SHUT THE FUCK UP YOU SHITTY BASTARD!" I screeched, lobbing my spear at his back.

"ARGHH!" Usopp went to sock him in the face, a stupidly brave move for him, considering that he was about as weak as a newborn bunny and his weapon was still in his bag.

Both of our attacks missed and I cursed my bad luck. What was with my aim today?

Luckily for the both of us, Kuro couldn't carry out with his plans to murder us. Luffy's fist shot out of no where and slammed into the Black Cat Captain's chin.

The rubber appendage came back to its madly grinning owner.

"If you really hate being hit," Luffy laughed. "I'll make sure to hit you a hundred times more."

I cheered in my mind, grateful that this fight was about to be over soon. But seriously, where has Luffy been all chapter?

* * *

><p><strong>AN: Well, to be honest, I kind of forgot about him ^_^" No, this chapter didn't finish the Kuro Arc, unfortunetally, but the next one definetally will. I'm sure you're just as tired of it as I am. I wanna write about Sanji, dangit! :(**

**SBS:**

nightange1: **Glad I sparked your curiosity about Sabe :3**

santa-san:** B-but why? Tamaki would mind, right? *looks at him hopefully***

Kine X: **I**** don't even know myself XD**

KuroHi91: **Nope, but it was a good guess:) He's a canon OP character, if that helps.**

**Thanks for Favoriting and Alerting:** UnluckyStar112, WolfMutt, TippyTurtle, and 1337box!


	12. An End to an Endless Arc

**Gateways: First Coming**

**Chapter Twelve ::: An End to an Endless Arc :::**

**Aka ::: The Steep Slope :::**

* * *

><p>"It's about time!" I cried indignantly. "Where the hell have you been since chapter ten?"<p>

CRASH!

Yes, that's the sound of the fourth wall breaking. Do I care? Not really.

Luffy ignored me. In fact, everyone ignored me. It was like they didn't even hear me. . .

"NOW!" a shrill voice yelled.

Everyone's jaws dropped as the three Veggie runts - I mean Usopp pirates (Hurr. . . .) ran out of the forest, wielding a shovel, a baseball bat, and a shovel. The very definition of stupid that lot. Because three little kids can totally defeat a fiercesome pirate captain. Choke on my sarcasm suckers!

The stupidity only got worse as they began to whack him with their respective 'weapons'. If they're anything like this when they get older, I only feel sympathy for their mothers. They'll be completely gray haired by the time these three hit twenty.

Once they felt that Kuro had been beaten enough, they turned to their rather annoyed captain and proceeded to have a shouting match with him. Something about smelling like sweat and whatnot.

Yeah, don't look at me. I dunno either. Kids, especially little eight year old boys, are a mystery to me.

Then Kuro got up and scared the shit out of them. He ignored the three terrified kids in favor of slashing at Usopp.

_**Shit,**_ I thought anxiously, **_I'm gonna get my ass cut when he does that speedy-step thing or whatever it's called, aren't I?_**

_It's your own fault, stupid_, a voice murmured.

"Okay, I'm starting to hear voices, does that mean I'm going crazy?"

_Most likely,_ came the matter-of-fact reply.

"Great," I groaned.

"REOWRR!" Buchi yowled, attacking Zoro.

"Oh my Gaga!" I wailed, bashing my head on the cliff wall. "Why can't we finish this damn arc already?"

As luck would have it (yay for me . . .seriously, I mean that!) I hit my head on a very pointy rock.

I'd never been to happy to pass out.

* * *

><p>"This'll be your room," Rollo grunted, clicking on the light. Sabe surveyed the room happily.<p>

It was plain, almost frighteningly so, having just a dresser and a bed to take up the space. But it was his for now.

"It's wonderful," Sabe grinned, a warm mushy feeling spreading through him. He tried to shake it off as soon as it came. Rollo scratched his nose in embarrassment.

"Yeah, yeah. Just. . . get some sleep. I expect to see you first thing in the morning!"

Sabe laughed quietly to himself as the gruff man exited the room.

* * *

><p>"Kim! Kim-san, wake up!"<p>

"Guhh, Nami?" I groaned. "Damn, my head hurts! What's going on? Did Luffy win yet?"

"No, something's going on. Look!"

I winced as I turned my head and looked at the middle of the slope, just in time to see Kuro disapear from sight. Nami froze in terror and clutched at my arm.

"Hey, Nami." I grunted, shifting forward. "Get behind me."

"Why?" she cried shakily. I rolled my eyes and shoved her into the space between me and the rock.

"I'm indestructable. You're not. I'd prefer me getting hurt over you. By the way, where did everyone else go?"

"Zoro and Usopp went after the hypnotist, who's chasing that girl and those kids." Nami sighed, resigning herself to hide behind me.

"That's good. They'll get him for sure." I said, leaning back on her. Nami hummed her agreement, still sounding nervous.

From there, the fight went on as it should have. With Luffy kicking Kuro's ass.

Unfortunealy, I did get slashed by the evil captain, but those wounds healed themselves as soon as they came.

"You need to get some new clothes," Nami commented, examining my torn tank tops.

"Ah, the consequences of battle." I mused. "I'm glad I left my jacket back with the boats."

"Do you have anything else to wear?" Nami asked, the wheels turning in her head.

"Of course," I sneered, seeing through her. "We all have clothes. I did a little shopping while you and the guys went to the mansion. Nami, you're fairly transparent. Please don't try and charge us for basic needs."

The ginger haired girl pouted, looking put out now that I'd denied her a money making opportunity.

We turned back to the almost over fight.

"Damn! Let me go!" Kuro growled, Luffy's weight making him lean precariously. By now, Luffy had attatched himself to the poop-suit guy and was about to initiate his final attack.

Luffy grinned. "Now your three year plan will fail!"

"What did you say?" Kuro roared.

That got Kuro's former men cheering on my normally silly captain. Which pissed him off but hey, Luffy was a little weird anyways. Luffy threw his head back to glare at them up close.

"I don't need your cheers! I'm gonna beat you all up too, so be ready!"

"GYAAAAHHH!"

Nami and I laughed at them, her anxiety about the fight fading.

"Gomu Gomu. . ."

"How can it be? My plan- My plan cannot fail!" Kuro bellowed.

From the forest, a great explosion sounded.

"BELL!" Luffy roared, bringing his head back to slam into Kuro's.

And, just like that, the fight to save Syrup village. . . was over.

* * *

><p>After the end of the fight, Nami and I split off from the guys and headed to Kaya's mansion. The guys headed to Usopp's house.<p>

The pretty blonde was kind enough to let us borrow some clothes and comandeer a couple of her bathrooms.

"Ah, I feel so much better~!" I sang as I exited the bathroom.

Kaya was waiting for me down the hall. Nami was taking her bath on the other side of the mansion.

"Did everything fit alright?" she asked sweetly. I grinned back at her.

"Perfectly." I laughed. "It's a good thing we're all the same size. Thank you." Kaya smiled back happily.

"Would you like to look around?" she asked, gesturing to the household in general.

"Sure!"

We walked around the house for a few hours, Kaya showing me the various rooms. Eventually, we came across the sitting room. One very large portrait took up the wall behind the head of the dinning room table.

We fell silent as Kaya looked up at the vision of her family sadly.

"I miss them." she murmured. I hummed softly.

"I can't even remember mine." I said quietly. "You were very lucky to know them, Kaya-chan. Don't let those memories go to waste. You've got your whole life ahead of you. You've also got three very loyal kids and their leader to make you laugh."

"They do make me very happy," she agreed with a laugh.

"Usopp in particular, I'd bet!" I teased playfully.

Kaya blushed and giggled in embarrassment.

I grinned back, pleased to see my suspicions confirmed, then turned serious.

"He's going to leave, soon, Kaya-chan." I told her. "You should tell him what you think of him before he leaves."

Her expression turned thoughtful.

"I think I'll do that."

* * *

><p>The first three days at the bar were kind of hectic for Sabe, but he was a quick adjustor.<p>

Soon, he was dishing out drinks almost as well as Rollo.

The blond grinned to himself, handing a pretty girl a drink called a Purple Carrot. She leaned forward flirtatiously.

"Hi there, handsome. My name's Tomiko."

"Sabellius."

He grinned to himself. This was a pretty good job.

* * *

><p>Three days later found us sitting in the resturant again. I had traded my usual outfit for a light purple tanktop with a black ribbon and lace and a knee-length black skirt with purple open-toed sandals like Nami's.<p>

Nami and I sweatdropped as Luffy pulled a fishbone out of his mouth.

"Phew!" he sighed, holding out out in front of him. "I got it!"

"Idiot," Zoro snorted. "It's because you're throat isn't trained enough to handle fish bones."

"If you eat a fish, this is what usually remains. You should give them to Ryuuji."

I laughed to myself. "Silly Lulu."

"Bones?" Ryuuji questioned from under the table.

"No way. You could choke on them like Luffy did." I answered him seriously.

"Well, we had our meal." Zoro said lazily. "We should get going."

"You're right," Luffy said, cruching on the fish bone he'd just dislodged from his throat.

"Oh, so this is where you guys were. . ." a familiar soft voice said. I leaned over Nami to look out of the booth and grin at my blonde friend I'd grown close to.

"Hey, Miss Kaya!" Luffy grinned.

"Kaya-chan!" I squealed, crawling over the ginger haired navigator to give the newcomer a hug. "What's up?"

"Don't you need to stay in bed?" Nami asked in concern.

"No," Kaya answered as she returned my embrace. "I've been sick like this for a year, ever since I lost my parents that day. Usopp-kun encouraged me, that's why I can't be so weak now. Anyways, I heard that you guys needed a ship!"

"A ship!" Luffy cried, getting excited. "You're gonna give us one?"

A few minutes later, we were down at the beach, being amazed by the sight the Going Merry presented.

"Hey," Zoro grinned.

"A caravel!" Nami and I cried, me doind a little happy dance with Ryuuji.

"Awesome!" Luffy shouted.

While Meri explained the ship to Nami and the others, Ryuuji and I looked around the ship in delight.

The Merry-go. Nakama and home alike. Now, to find an electrical plug.

It was pretty unlikely that there would even be one on the ship, but if I could find a secluded little area no one would be likely to go snooping in, I could create an outlet myself and create a little pocket space to store energy in. If I could charge my body and other objects with energy, why couldn't I charge my phone up with that same power. I hoped to Gaga that it worked.

"Waaahhh! Somebody stopped me please!" My dog and I ran our in time to see Luffy and Zoro stop the rogue sharpshooter with their feet.

"Kaya-chan! Now's your chance!"

She smiled at me nervously and pulled Usopp off to the side.

We watched them talk quietly for a few minutes, grinning like the lovesick fools they were, when Kaya leaned forward suddenly.

Their kiss was short and sweet, but was soon interrupted by wolf whistles and cat calls from me and the boys. Immature bunch we were.

"Told you it'd work out!" I grinned down at Kaya as Usopp gave us his farewells.

"Thank you, Kim-chan." she laughed, still blushing.

"Hurry up and get on board!" Zoro grunted at Usopp.

"What?"

"Sorry Kaya, we're stealing your guy!" I announced loud enough for everyone to hear.

"You're already our companion, aren't you?" Luffy asked sincerely, pinning Usopp with a confused look.

And so, we set off from Syrup Village with a new nakama in tow and a new ship.

"I think it's time for a KANPAI! To Usopp our new sharpshooter! And the Merry-go! Our new ship!"

"YEAAAAH!"

* * *

><p><strong>AN: It's over, hey! It's over, hey! *dances goofily* BARATIE! SANJI! HERE I COME! Baratie~ Sanji-kwun~ *flys away happily* Oh, and there's more art on my DA page for this story. There's even a scene from this chapter there.**

**SBS!**

**Thank you for Favoriting and Alerting:** Miki Naomi, Shoulda Been Grace, xxOMGgalxx, Karasu-archer, and Too-Deep!

nightange1: **Thank you! And, SANJI'S GONNA BE IN THE NEXt CHAPTER!:D**

Shoulda Been Grace: **That's okay:) I'm glad you figured it out. You still haven't told me what you want yet. . . *stares intently***

Kine X: **Thanks:)**

kenegi: **Yes, unfortunetaly for her. That'll also make her the exception to the Straw Hat's clean killing slate. But, she's an OC, so it really doesn't count:)**

santa-san: ***holds Haruhi hostage and pulls out Ranka* Rethink it, Tama-chan! Rethink!**

xxOMGgalxx: **Possibly around Water 7, but don't let that deter you:) I won't say with who though, you'll have to figure that out for yourself:3**


	13. In Loooove!

**Gateways: First Coming**

**Chapter Thirteen ::: In Loooove~! :::**

**Aka ::: Yosaku and Johnny :::**

**::: ****Sanji Enters :::**

* * *

><p>KABOOM!<p>

I flinched as the sound of cannon fire spread through the ship. I looked up at the ceiling warily, wondering why the boys' cabin was directly below the cannon.

Why was I in the boys' cabin? Because that was where I decided to sleep. It promised to be the most interesting room and I wouldn't have to deal with Nami throwing pillows in her sleep. That ginger bitch had a mean arm!

I shook my head and turned back to the little wall socket I had created. It was the moment of truth and I was eagerly anticipating the moment where I would find if my planning worked or not. I plugged my phone charger into the socket and hooked my phone up to it. For a few seconds, there was nothing and I felt my heart drop. Had it not worked?

Then the green battery appeared on the screen.

I let out a joyus whoop and did a little dance from my place beside the wall. Ryuuji lazily lifted his head and stared at me from my hammock.

"Did it work, senpai?" he asked sleepily. I grinned at my little doggie sidekick.

"Of course it did, Ryuuji!" I sang, leaning over and scratching him behind the ears. He made a sound of appreciation.

I gave Ryuuji one final pat and climbed out of the boys' room and headed to the storage room for some limes. As I went, I could hear Luffy and Usopp fooling around in the kitchen and smelt the fresh paint on the sails and flag. My golden eyes drifted up to our grinning Jolly Roger and I couldn't help but turn my lips up into one as well. The grin, much like Luffy's, was impossible to resist. The storage room door had just slid shut behind me in time for Johnny to appear and destroy a few of our empty barrels. I ignored the racket outside and went about squeezing the juice out of the limes and into a large mug I had taken to carrying around with me in anticipation of the bounty hunters' arrival.

I grabbed a bag of trail mix and headed out of the storage room to great them myself. Luffy was already out there and frowning in confusion.

"Hi, Kimi-nee." he mumbled, blinking at me as I appeared. I scooped out a handful of chocolately trail mix for myself and tossed the bag to Luffy. "Thanks!"

"You're welcome." I replied, crouching down by Johnny and poking him in the ribs. The dark haired man let out a girlish yelp, flinching away from my long fingers. An absolutely Cheshire-styled grin spread over my face as I realized the bounty hunter was ticklish. Definetally something to exploit in the future. "Who's this?"

Zoro chose that moment to come out of the galley and stand before the broken rail.

"Huh? Is that Johnny?" Said man tipped his head back to stare at the marimo.

"Zoro? Is that really you, Aniki?" he cried, flipping over and nearly hitting me in the face. I scowled at him and moved to sit by Luffy and steal trail mix from the rubbery captain.

"Hey!" the rubbery boy pouted, giving me this absolutely adorable look. I ruffled his hair and gave him a one armed hug. He seemed to forget that I was stealing his food and cuddled up to me with a giggle. Luffy was a lot more touchy feely than the manga and anime made him out to be. And, honestly, I loved being hugged by such a sweet guy. His happiness spreads like the common cold.

We turned back to the interaction between the old companions to find that Johnny had disappered. Before we could ask, he was climbing back up the side of the Merry-go with an unconcious and bleeding Yosaku on his back.

I remained seated as Luffy went to help and the others emerged from the galley.

"He was fine just a couple of days ago," Johnny explained, crying into his hand. "But all of a sudden he turned pale and kept passing out. I didn't know what to do! His teeth are falling out and his old wounds are reopening. I was trying to rest on that island to think when it got blown up!"

Luffy and Usopp's jaws dropped and they bowed in apology. Johnny went on to scare the crap out of them and sent them on a guilt trip.

Then Nami showed up and basically insulted everyone's intelligence. I rolled my eyes at her bluntness and called her name to catch her attention.

"Oi, Ginger!" She turned to me with a scowl. "Here." I handed her my mug of lime juice and she offered me a shocked and confused look.

"Wha-?"

"Better give that to him before he dies," I suggested, giving her a playful smile. Her jaw snapped shut and her eyes narrowed at me before she swung around and stomped off to the sick man. I saw Usopp out of the corner of my eye, giving my a calculating expression that told me he was gathering information on me. I knew he would figure me out eventually, but I was hoping it would take him a while to do so. I was also hoping he would question me in private so I wouldn't have to tell the whole crew at once and deal with a bunch of crap.

Nami went on to explain the dangers of scurvy and the ways to prevent it. This got her a lot of awe from the more stupid guys, which caused her to go off on them. Then Yosaku got up and made her temper get even worse. Then Yosaku passed out again and that led to us talking about getting someone to keep us healthy out at sea.

"Alright, I've decided then! Let's go look for a sea cook!" He stuck his tounge out at us and grinned. "Eating good food is never a bad thing."

"Duck cook?" I asked hopefully.

"Aniki!" Johnny called, raising his hand like a kindergardener.

"Yes, Johnny?" Zoro sweatdropped.

"If you're looking for a good cook I know just the place." He grinned and Luffy and I exchanged an excited look as Johnny helped us set a course for the Baratie Ocean Going Resturant.

Sanji! Here we come!

* * *

><p>"Good Gaga!" I squealed, bouncing in place as the most awesome looking resturant I've ever seen came into view. My nakama and the bounty hunter pair voiced their own appreciation. Except for Zoro, but he doens't appreciate the fish. And he shall be shunned. Shuuuun! "Fishie!" I took a deep breath in through my nose, Ryuuji mimicking me, and practically drooled at the mouth watering scents drifting from the floating resturant.<p>

My good mood couldn't even be ruined by that pink haired Marine, Fullbody. I just ignored them and went below to get my shoes. Can't go into a fancy resturant without them, now can I? Well, I could, but Patty might try to kick me out. Then Sanji would kick his ass for insulting a lady. . . Ah, the temptation to get a meal and a show!

I found my shoes below my hammock and slipped them on, emerging on deck just as the cannon fired at us. Unfortunetally, I was standing close to the rail and ended up getting caught in the blow-back from the deflected cannon ball.

"Ahhh!" Luffy yelped as I went flying off. "SOOOOORRRRYYYY!"

I screeched like a banshee as I went flying through the roof of the Baratie, various bits and pieces of wood and glass imbedding themselves into my skin. I'm sure I would've died had I not been an immortal freak. Luckily for my back, I landed on something soft and not the ground like I had expected.

"Eh?" I moaned, blinking up at the damaged ceiling in a daze.

"What the hell just happened?" a gruff and angry voice demanded. I winced because it was shouted in my ear. I quickly scrambled off of Zeff and tried to help him up.

"Gah! I'm sorry! Sorrysorrysorry! Those damn Marines. . . AHH! YOU'RE BLEEDING!"

Thankfully, I was slapped out of my hysterics before I could freak out even further. I yelped and clutched at my stinging cheek, whimpering like a kicked puppy and hiding in the corner. Zeff looked at me with a frown and a somewhat apologetic expression.

"You should calm down some," he said gruffly, sitting down heavily on the bed. I glared at the ground.

I couldn't help but freak out! Everyone from the Baratie were my favorite One Piece characters, and hurting one of them was like ripping my arm off. Painful and it led to regret.

"Sorry," I mumbled, looking everywhere but at Zeff. The blond man huffed.

"What's your name, lass?"

"Leonore Kimiya." I said, finally looking at him. He smirked.

"Well, Miss Leonore, you've destroyed a good bit of my resturant. How do you intend on repaying me?"

I shook my head, feeling my cheek healing itself along with the rest of my body.

"I was an innocent bystander! If you wanna talk payment, talk to my captain. He's the one who sent me flying through the roof!"

"SIR!" one of the chefs called, suddenly bursting into the room. Luffy was being dragged along by another chef. "We brought the one responsible for this! This is the perp!"

"I'm so sorry mister!" Luffy cried, then proceeded to freak out like I had. He then got bitch-slapped, like me, and reassured that it wasn't his fault Zeff lost a foot.

"Boys," the head cheff grunted. "Take Miss Leonore down and have her looked over for injuries while I talk to her captain. And try to keep Sanji away from her."

"Yes, chef!" They then proceeded to lead me down to the kitchen and questioned my health. I managed to assure them that I was alright and they left me to sit in the corner quietly, watching them work with wide eyes. After a while, I couldn't stand sitting still for so long and got up to peer out into the resturant.

It was then that I saw him.

The beautiful blond man with curly eyebrows. The fact that he was holding up a bloody Marine didn't really register with me and I had to physically restrain myself from running out and tackling him. Especially in this skirt.

Sanji was saved from me for the time being when several of the chefs ran out to restrain him from killing Fullbody-baka.

"Wow," I whispered to myself, a goofy grin spreading across my face. Being in the same building as the guy who was number one on all of my Favorite Anime character lists was too much. "So that's Sanji, huh? I think I'm in looove~!"

* * *

><p><strong>AN: *shuffles feet* I did it again. . . I'm sorry guys. Life caught up and beat me over the head with a Chemistry book. And a Scarlet Letter research paper that will say if I pass sophmore year or not.**

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Miki Naomi: **Thank you!**

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Kine X: **I'm glad you enjoyed it.**

xxOMGgalxx: **I do plan on this story covering the whole of One Piece. As for Ace. . . you'll see! *cackles evilly***

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Shoulda Been Grace: **I'm glad you liked it! I couldn't resist throwing in that couple. They're just too awkwardly adorable.**

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SkittlesKat: **Thanks!**


	14. Flirting

**Gateways: First Coming**

**Chapter Fourteen ::: Flirting :::**

**Aka ::: The Three Cooks :::**

**::: Before the Storm :::**

* * *

><p>"Ah~! So cuuuute!" I drooled, watching Sanji argue with Patty.<p>

The way his hair fell in his eyes, the glare, the curly eye brows, the passion! It felt like I was in a dream.

However, that dreamy feeling quickly turned to annoyance as the chefs held Sanji back and ruined my view. But I could still hear him.

"God, it just gets me so angry to see a damn spoiled son of a bitch like you!" I grinned to myself and walked out, feeling pretty happy. "Just who the hell do you think you are?"

Fullbody looked ready to cry and Sanji looked ready to kill. And he might've done just that, because the chefs' grip on him seemed like it was about to break.

Luckily for Fullbody, the ceiling caved and Zeff and Luffy came crashing into the dinning area.

I snickered to myself as Zeff and Luffy began shouting at each other and I settled myself down in a nearby chair to get a good view at the action. And some food while I was at it. After all, when you some to such a nice resturant, how can you resist ordering some great food?

However, no one noticed me and, since it seemed like everyone was getting the crap beat out for no reason, I decided to stay quiet and wait.

As it turns out, staying quiet and observing is really entertaining. I can see why Robin enjoys it so much.

I got to see a Marine get shot, had said shooter walk in and sit at my table, get the table destroyed, and I got hit in the head with a piece of the broken table. Fun, right? Well, for me it was, but I might be a little insane.

"Owww," I whined, rubbing my bleeding forehead. "That hurt~!"

"Patty, you dumbass! If you're gonna attack people, make sure you don't hurt any ladies!" Sanji seethed, kicking Patty in the ass.

His angry persona completely disappeared when he turned to me, replaced with a very suave and sweet expression.

I don't know if it was the head injury or the lighting, but he looked /damn/ fine~!

"Hi!" I sang, beaming up at him with a deliriously happy feeling flooding through my system.

"Hello, my darling lady." he said, grinning at me. "I must apologize for my coworkers actions."

"It's alright!" I said. "I heal really quickly!"

"Would you like some help cleaning up?" Sanji asked charmingly.

"If it's you helping me, I would~!"

"Maybe we could get some wine along the way?" Sanji asked, delighted that I was flirting back.

"Ah, I'm afraid alcohol isn't something I like. How about some apple juice?"

"Whatever you'd like," Sanji chuckled, helping me up like the gentleman he was. He began leading me towards the kitchen, but I asked him to hold up for a minute as we passed Luffy.

"This one I like," I said seriously, pointing at the duck cook of my dreams. Luffy grinned at me and nodded.

"I know, me too!"

After our little chat was over, I skipped back to Sanji's side and beamed up at him.

When we got to the kitchen, Sanji had me sit on a chair and he went to get a wet rag and a first aid kit.

"I don't believe I've introduced myself. My name is Kimiya Leonore!" I chirped, watching him move around the kitchen with ease, like it was as easy as breathing. And for him, it wsa probably second nature to move like that.

"It's a pleasure to meet a beauty like you~!" Sanji grinned, gently dabbing at my forehead. "I'm Sanji."

Now, I may not believe in love at first sight, but I damn sure believed in love at first treatment of injuries!

"It's really nice to meet you too, Sanji-san. I don't think I've ever met anyone so polite."

"Being rude to a lady is unacceptable!" Sanji said, frowning once my forehead was cleared of all blood. "Wha-?"

"I told you I heal fast," I said cheekily, amused at his shock.

"Devil Fruit-?" he wondered. I patted his cheek gently and laughed.

"No, Sanji-san. Not a Devil Fruit. Anyway, thank you for the help. But I need to go see about the rest of my crew."

"You're a pirate?" he asked incredulously.

"Of course," I winked at him as I headed out the door. "What else would I want to be?"

I left Sanji, grinning happily to myself.

* * *

><p>Later, I found myself standing on the balcony beside Luffy. There wasn't much chatter between us as we observed the starving Ghin laid out on the deck below us.<p>

I closed my eyes and inhaled deeply as Sanji came out with a plate of steaming. . . something. I don't know what it was, but it looked good. Despite the fact that there were octopus tentacles in it.

Luffy laughed.

"Looks like I found a good cook."

"I like him too," I laughed with Luffy. "He's cute, nice, and walks like a duck. Perfection on legs. Nice legs."

Luffy gave me a semi-weirded out look.

"Kimi-nee, you're weird sometimes."

"Didn't I tell you to stop calling me that?"

"But I like calling you that!"

"Fine, but I wanna call you ototo."

"Deal!"

Luffy turned his attention back to the two men below us and made us known.

"Lucky! You got some food!"

"Hi there~!" I sang, grinning down at them like the Cheshire cat.

"You were almost dead before!" Luffy said, laughing. "Hey, cook! Join my crew!"

"Huh? Kimiya-san, is that one of the crew members you were talking about?"

"Yup," I tugged Luffy into a headlock. "This guy is my captain. Adorable, isn't he?"

Luffy grabbed me around the waist and jumped down so we could have a conversation with Sanji and Ghin without shouting. Luckily for me, Luffy had the sense to hold my skirt down so I wouldn't flash everyone.

Have I mentioned I love this guy? Because I do.

"Why'd you fire a cannonball at the resturant?" Sanji asked, looking at Luffy. I sat beside my captain on the rail, swinging my legs over the ocean.

"Oh, that was an accident. It was just a cannonball that went astray from self-defense."

"Come again?" Sanji blinked and then brushed it off, taking a drag on his cigarette. He went on to explain what the ship meant to Zeff. And that led to Sanji explaining why the waiters jumped ship and yada yada yada.

"Eh, whatever." Luffy said, not really caring about the waiters. "Join my crew."

"I'll have to refuse on that offer," Sanji said, looking at him from the corner of his eye. "I've got my own reason to keep working here."

Luffy scowled.

"No way! I refuse!"

There was a unimous sweatdrop from Sanji, Ghin and I.

"Wha-?" Ghin began, looking completely confused. Sanji also looked confused. I was just exasperated.

"I refuse your refusal! You're a good cook, so let's all be pirates together. You're already friends with Kim, so you'll fit in great!"

Sanji refused again, shooting me a quick apology, and began arguing with Luffy. Then Ghin got dragged into the conversation and he warned us against going into the Grandline.

We were unconcerned and, in Luffy's case, confused about what the hell he was talking about.

"What's a Krieg?" the rubberman asked, tipping his head to the side like a puppy.

"Been there, done that." I yawned. "The Grandline's not all that scary if you listen to the flower-ossan at the lighthouse."

Ghin frowned and listened to me contemplatively.

Apparently I just gave him some decent advice.

After the four of us finished up our conversation and Ghin was gone, I headed back into the resturant, hoping to actually order something this time.

"Sup, guys?" I asked, pulling a chair over to the table where the rest of the Straw Hat crew was eating. There was a happy bark from beneath the table and Ryuuji peeked out at me, grinning his doggy grin. "Sneaky pup!" I laughed, rubbing him discretely with my foot.

"Where've you been?" Zoro asked, raising an eyebrow as I placed my order with one of the cooks.

"Flirting with the assistant head chef," I said shamelessly.

They looked at me in shock. Zoro looked slightly annoyed, furthering my assumptions that he was a Kaine clone.

Shit, I got to keep my crush on Sanji a secret from my brothers. Ken wouldn't care, but he couldn't keep a secret to save his life. And if he spilled the beans, different dimensions be damned, Kaine would come to us in a heartbeat and have Sanji in concrete shoes. In the middle of the ocean.

Though, with his legs, I don't think it would hinder him much.

Thankfully, Nami saved me before Zoro could make a rude comment.

"So, is he cute?" she asked. I grinned and leaned over the table.

"The cutest." I said, as if confiding in a world changing secret. "He's blond, blue eyed, and he has nice legs."

We then proceeded to make the guys uncomfortable by giggling over him and trading former love stories.

"Ack! It's you guys!" Nami and I broke off our conversation to look at Luffy with identical grins.

"Heya, Lulu-ototo!" I cheered. Nami leaned back in her chair and waved.

"Hey, Errand-boy."

"Heard you have to work here for a year." Usopp snickered.

"Would it be alright if we redrew the ship's flag?" Zoro teased.

That got Luffy angry and we laughed at him as he freaked out comically. Our laughter only increased as his prank on Zoro backfired and he was forced to drink his own snot.

Then my good mood only increased as Sanji arrived and began fawning over us.

"Ah, you're so cute~!" I wiggled in my seat.

Unfortunetally, Zeff had to go and ruin the mood by insulting Sanji. Damn geezer. . .

* * *

><p><strong>AN: Hi again! Not much to say for now. I got a new puppy and he reminds me of Luffy. He's annoying and he eats a _lot_.**

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Kine X: **You're welcome!**

Lizzie the Badger: **Thanks!**

santa-san: **We shall see, we shall see. . .**

ColdCypher: **Oh, yes. She definetally is~!**

xxOMGgalxx: **Yes, I'm alive^_^" And Mihawk. Oh yeah, that's gonna be interesting.**

Omicron the IceQueen: **Thank you so much! I would whack Life back, but I don't think my Chemistry teacher would appreciate me getting blood on her book. She'd made me pay to replace it!**


	15. Confrontation

**Gateways: First Coming**

**Chapter Fourteen ::: Confrontation :::**

**Aka ::: An Uninvited Guest :::**

**::: The Don's Offer :::**

**::: Steer Clear :::**

* * *

><p>"Don't step over the line, old man!" Sanji snapped, grabbing Zeff by the collar of his shirt and glaring up at him. "You can insult me but don't ever insult my cooking! I'm staying here and you can't do a damn thing about it!" Zeff responded by throwing him onto our table.<p>

"Don't put your hands on me, you underdone eggplant!"

Sanji sat up, wincing at shooting daggers at Zeff with his eye.

I blinked at the whole thing, holding my plate and drink in my lap while Ryuuji cowered under my chair.

Zeff scoffed at Sanji and walked off. This caused my duck-cook to explode.

"YOU CAN'T KICK ME OUT! I'LL COOK HERE FOREVER! UNTIL YOU DIE!"

"I won't die. I've still got another hundred years of kicking your ass in me." I snorted at that and chewed thoughtfully on a carrot stick.

"Damn geezer, always got to have the last word." Sanji seethed, setting our table back up.

"Great!" Luffy said happily, grinning at the blond. "You got permission! Come be my cook!"

"Never!" Sanji swung away from Luffy, his annoyed aura disappearing as he spotted me and Nami. "Forgive the commotion. A fruit macedoine with my compliments and a grand marnier for my dear swan. And for my princess, fresh apple juice."

"Oooh, thank you!" Nami cried happily. "How gallant!"

"You're very welcome~!" Sanji turned to grin at me. I grinned back.

"You remembered!" I laughed, happily drinking my drink. I was amazing. Sanji looked pleased with himself. "Thank you! You're sweet."

"Not at all," Sanji waved me off, but was unable to hide a smile. I could tell he liked all the comliments Nami and I were giving him.

We lost him to Usopp for a moment. Nami turned to me and whispered happily.

"I agree about what you said earlier." I smiled smugly.

"He really is adorable isn't he? And not in the Luffy way. This adorable quality is more refined."

"A gentleman and a great cook," Nami laughed and dug into the macedonie with pleasure. After a she was finished, she interuppted Sanji and Usopp's arguement and brought Sanji back to the table so we could fawn over him like the cutie he was. I knew that Nami was just trying to get a free meal, but I was really happy to have someone to spazz out with. "Oh, please don't fight over us!" Nami cried, clasping her hands by her cheek.

"As you wish, my ladies~!" Sanji sang, dancing over to us with his floating hearts, leaving Usopp muttering about stupid chefs and manipulative women.

"Um, chef dear?" Nami whispered, putting her hands on his cheeks and pulling him close.

"Yes, my swan?" he sighed, looking deliriously happy at the close proximity. I frowned slightly, not exactly happy with Nami tricking my duck cook.

"This food is delicious, but a bit pricey."

"For you lovely ladies, it's free~!" Nami squealed and threw her arms around him. I pouted to myself as Nami got all his attention.

What? I'm a teenage girl! It would be weird if I didn't get jealous because of a cute guy!

"Stupid Nami," I grumbled, rubbing Ryuuji's ears. His tail thumped from beneath the table.

"You guys still have to pay." Sanji told the guys bluntly.

Nami and I dissolved into a fit of giggles as we watched Sanji interact with Usopp and Zoro. Our laughter increased as he dragged Luffy off and forced him to work.

* * *

><p>Two days later, I found myself lid out on the deck of the Merry-go, half-asleep and watching the clouds pass by. Johnny was below my head, acting as my pillow.<p>

A scream and a crash from inside the Baratie jolted me awake.

"It's Don Krieg's pirate ship!" Nami cried in horror, gripping at the railing she was peeking through. Usopp swung around to shout at the ever calm and collected Zoro.

"This is bad!" he wailed. "Let's get out of here!"

"We don't want to die, big bro!" the bounty hunters wailed. I frowned and prodded Johnny in the ribs, causing him to squeal and scoot away.

"Don't be so wimpy." I snapped, feeling annoyed that I didn't get to enjoy my lazyness any more.

Zoro and I watched quietly as Ghin and Krieg entered the resturant.

"You thinking what I'm thinking?" I asked darkly, glaring at the villian of my favorite arc.

"Yeah," Zoro said, drawing his katana. "Let's go, Kim, Usopp."

Our sniper squawked his protest as we headed inside too.

For the most part, no one really us. They were more concerned with Krieg and his destroying of the Baratie. In fact, they only noticed us after Krieg started whinning about the dangers of the Grandline.

"Can't we just call this whole thing off? Going there is suicide!" Usopp cried. Zoro and I glared at him.

"Quiet. Stay out of this."

"Besides, it's Luffy's decision. And I doubt he'll want to turn back." I rolled my eyes at Usopp and turned to grin at Luffy. "Need help, ototo?"

"Time to fight, Luffy? I'll lend a hand." Zoro grinned like the badass he was, resting the Wado on his shoulder.

"You guys are still here?" Luffy asked, seeming surprised.

Krieg went on to insult our crew and tried to intimidate us. This caused Usopp to quake in his boots.

"Did you hear that?" the sharpshooter cried. "Fifty ships destroyed in one week!"

"Sounds interesting," Zoro grinned.

"Boring," I yawned. That got me noticed by Krieg.

He narrowed his eyes at me and his dark eyes locked in on my golden ones. I glared at him.

"You have that man's eyes." he growled, then turned his attention back to the chefs. "Now listen carefully. I'll give you a chance. I'm taking this food to my men and then I'm coming back. If you're still here, I'll kill you. All I want is the ship and the captain's log. But if you're eager to die. . ." Krieg walked out, leaving the room tense.

"I'm sorry Sanji," Ghin said, collapsing. He apologized for his captain and the chefs got ready to fight Krieg and his men, determined not to lose their precious resturant. "Are all of you fools? You saw what Don Krieg can do! You'd better run!"

Sanji then went on to make himself even cooler and my eyes as well as Luffy's.

"See!" Luffy said excitedly. "He's strong, huh?"

"Cute too!" I agreed.

"Who cares?" Usopp bawled. "We gotta get out of here!"

"Relax. They're wounded and starving."

"Yeah," Luffy said as I dragged him into my lap. "Besides, I've got to fight Krieg. He's a powerful rival. I'll have to take him down sometime. By the way. . . Ghin!"

"Aye?" he asked, glancing over at us. I propped my chin up on Luffy's shoulder.

"You said you didn't know a thing about the Grandline. But you've been there!"

Ghin shuddered and proceeded to have a bit of a panic attack just remembering it. He freaked out everyone but me. I'd heard it and read about it what seemed like a thousand times. The Grandlnie wasn't that scary of a place when you knew a good big of its secrets.

"Dude, you had it rough. Did you listen to the flower-ossan?" I wondered, drawing attention to myself.

"You've been to the Grandline?" Sanji asked, looking shocked.

"I know all about it," I said, not answering his question. However, everyone took that as an affirmative. "And from what I can tell, Krieg seriously pissed someone off and got his fleet destroyed. Am I right? And, judging by the nature of your ships damage, it was done by a swordsman."

"How did you know?" Ghin gasped, meeting my eyes and freezing with fear. I smirked.

"It was a hawk-eyed man, right?"

"What?" Zoro clenched his teeth and glared at me. "You know him?"

"Hm, not personally." I hummed, petting Luffy's hair. He blinked at me in a curious way.

"Who are you guys talking about?" he wondered.

"Hawk-Eye Mihawk." I smirked. "The Greatest Swordsman in the World."

* * *

><p><strong>AN: I'm on a roll and it's spring break. Expect some new chapters before Monday:) I might try doing regular updates on Fridays if I can manage.**

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	16. Icarus Falls

**Gateways: First Coming**

**Chapter Sixteen ::: Icarus Falls :::**

**Aka ::: Storm :::**

**::: My Own Destiny :::**

**::: Roronoa Zoro Falls into the Deep Ocean :::**

**::: The Vow :::**

* * *

><p>"Based on your description, it was a hawk-eyed man like the lady said. However, that might not be evidence enough. Miss Leonore has those same hawk-like eyes too. But if that man could do something like that, he truly is Hawk Eyes Mihawk."<p>

Zoro leaned over the table and frowned.

"That's the man I'm looking for." he said. "Johnny told me that he used to visit this place."

The chefs frowned amoung themselves and disagreed, calling the man Johnny was talking about Drunk eyes. Apparently he burned himself to death in the resturant. Wish I could have seen it.

Zoro gritted his teeth, annoyed with his friend.

I zoned out for the next few minutes as Zeff talked about the strange happenings in the Grandline. Honestly though, as long as you've got a good navigator and you actually listen to the people around you, you shouldn't die quickly. And keep an eye on the Log Pose, otherwise your ass is gonna be so lost Zoro'll be able to point you in the right direction.

Thankfully, Patty spiced things up a bit and began whinning about Krieg's ship parked out front. Apparently he didn't care that we were crazy and suicidal for heading to the Grandline as long as we took care of the guys outside. Sounds good to me!

As if they heard us talking about them, they began creating a ruckus outside. Everyone turned to the doors as they began rushing inside. However, before they could make it, a great crack rang through the air and Krieg's ship split in two.

I clutched to Usopp as the Baratie trembled around us.

"What's that?" Luffy screeched. He lept off the table and ran outside, the rest of us close at his heels. "Nami!"

"Dammit! Johnny and Yosaku are still on our ship!" Zoro snarled.

"Merry-go!" Usopp gasped, worried about Kaya's gift.

"Ryuuji-san!" I cried, slamming into the railing around the outer deck.

"HELP!" came the familiar cries from the waters. I leaned over the railing and scooped him up while the guys dragged the bounty hunter pair onboard.

"Are you guys okay? What happened to Nami? Where's our ship?" Luffy asked.

"Big bro Nami took it!" Johnny wailed, looked soaked and ashamed.

The boys began shouting in disbelief, but, like Zeff, I had noticed something steadily moving closer towards us.

"Is that-?" I began, then cut myself off.

Dracule Mihawk and I had locked eyes.

* * *

><p>There was something about Mihawk's eyes that was familiar. Of course, it could have been the coloring. Having grown up with a golden eyed family, it was no strange thing to me. Or, it could have been the gaze. A gaze I had often seen in Kaine and Zoro when they were being dangerous.<p>

But this man didn't need to be angry or radiating killing intent to seem dangerous. It was natural. It was terrifying.

Was this truly the man who Krieg feared so much? Yes, and rightly so.

I gripped the outer railing a bit tighter as a gentle breeze swirled my hair around my face.

"THAT MAN!" It seemed like the chefs and the Krieg pirates had finally noticed Mihawk. I glanced at Zoro from the corner of my eye.

He had frozen, eyes wide and bugging from his skull.

"Is that-?" he began, then inhaled sharply. "The Hawk-Eyes!"

There was a general murmur from the unimpressed chefs until Zeff spoke up. He explained that he destroyed the ships with only his sword and then adressed him with his proper title.

The Greatest Swordsman in the World.

A title I hoped that Zoro would one day take from him, not only for him and his dream, but for the dream he carried with the Wado.

Mihawk lifted his head ever so slightly and glared at the lot of us: StrawHats, chefs, and Krieg pirates.

One of the weaker Krieg pirates became overwhelmed by the crushing atmosphere and panicked, shouting and shooting at the impressive man.

I felt a gust of air beside me and turned my head in time to see Zoro leap onto the wreckage that was Krieg's destroyed flag ship.

What happened next was something I'm pretty sure everone remembers. If you've become so atttched to the East Blue saga like I have, then the fight between Zoro and Mihawk is probably burned into your brain. So I won't bother describing it.

But I will say that I felt like throwing up my lunch at times.

It's awful seeing your friend being sliced up like raw sushi and by a man with ruthlesness and without regret. However, just seeing the two of them fight was incredibly impressive, from the dialouge to the fluid movements. While Mihawk made Zoro look like an elephant next to his cat-like prowess, Zoro had a grace all his own. Unlike Mihawk's elegant and mesmerizing movements, Zoro was full of raw power. It was like watching a wolf chasing its prey. Frightening and beautiful at the same time.

And that final blow had me reminded of Icarus falling from the sky.

Memorable.

Zoro was the overconfident Icarus and Mihawk the merciless sun.

However, unlike the Greek tale I knew so well from childhood, the sun caught Icarus' fall.

Mihawk might have nearly killed Zoro with that last blow, but he just saved his life before the sword went too deep. But it would leave a mark Zoro would never forget. It was the lesson of what happened when you got too close to something so great before you're ready, but one that my brother-like swordsman would live to remember.

But I couldn't bear to watch it.

Right before the giant blade arced downward, I swung around and hid my face in Luffy's chest. He gripped my shoulder and tensed.

"ZORO!" he bellowed.

There was a sort of dull roar in my ears as Luffy shouted, gripping me around the waist and rocketing us over to Mihawk. The air whipped my hair around us, a sting flitting over my skin as it slapped me in the face. Behind us, the bounty hunter pair dived into the ocean to rescue the fallen swordsman.

Unfortunetally, Luffy's badass entrance ended with him getting his head stuck in a board and me falling on my ass. I blinked up at Mihawk, dumbfounded.

He looked down on me with a hint of amusement dancing in his golden eyes. Eyes that reminded me of my oldest brother.

The Greatest Swordsman in the World turned from me to give Zoro a little good-bye speech. It was pretty inspiring if I may say so. While he did this, the guys on the boat (the bounty hunter pair, Usopp, and Ryuuji) panicked over my green haired buddy.

Mihawk turned back to us.

"What are your goals?" he asked solemnly.

"To become the greatest pirate. The King." Luffy said immediately.

"To make my captain the King." I said, finding that I finally had something to live for. It was surprising and I felt myself smiling in amusement at myself. It was a good feeling, having something to live for and all.

"Such stupid dreams," Mihawk smirked, not sounding like he really meant it. "You'll have to become stronger than me, you know?"

"Bleh!" Luffy said, sticking his tounge out at the Shichibukai. I snickered to myself. "I'll do it, just wait and see!"

"Ditto." I smiled, suddenly finding Mihawk less intimidating. Of course, the intimidation was still there, but the eyes made him familiar to me. I felt somewhat better being in his presence. Luffy turned away to ask about Zoro, and Mihawk smirked down on me.

"You're quite familiar, young lady. But I don't recall ever meeting you."

"Perhaps it's the personality." I suggested dryly. "Or the eyes. They're a family trait, though I seriously doubt that you've met any of my relatives."

"You remind me of a woman I met once. Completely unconcerned about her environment." I chuckled at this and turned to see Zoro raising the Wado into the air.

I listened with respect as Zoro vowed never to disappoint our captain again. That he would be the greatest and never lose again! After all, the King deserved no less than the best.

"You're a very interesting bunch," Mihawk said. "I hope that I will see you again. And, perhaps, the next time I meet you young lady, I'll tell you the name of that woman."

"I look forward to it." I said, smiling at the dark haired man's back.

And so, Mihawk left with a dramatic flair, disappearing into thin air as Krieg fired after him.

* * *

><p><strong>AN: Wow, it feels so good to be writing this again! As of today, this fanfiction is officially a year old! Happy birthday GFC! *puts on a birthday had and picks up a purple haired baby with golden eyes* Wave to your fans!**

**On another note, I think I passed a Chemistry test! It figures that I'm just starting to understand it at the end of the year. . . Hurr**

**IMPORTANT: This isn't me ranting by the way. At the moment, I have two ways for the next chapter to go. Kim stays and fights a new OC or she goes to Arlong Park with the others and meets a crucial OC there for the next arc. What do you think should happen? Or do you think I should have her quickly fight the OC here and then go to Arlong Park or just skip that? To be honest, I just want to get this over with and write Arlong Park already. But I want to know how YOU want this to happen!:)**

**SBS!**

**Thanks for Favoriting and Alerting:** Daisylovesu, omikel, FrankSinatra24, Tachi Tsuki un, violentyetawesome, Happy-the-Nekomander, vete, SaaraZ, Fuyutaro son **(you inspired me, just so you know, with My life in one piece. Thanks for that!),** Natal, SwirlzSmile and Sayonara Yasashii Akumu!

Omicron the IceQueen: **Who are some of your favorite characters? Thanks for the advice, but I think I'll try whacking it with my binder. I don't care if I get blood on my notes. If anything, it'll freak my teacher out when I have to hand everything in at the end of the year:)**

xxOMGgalxx: **Thanks!**

Kine X: **Thank you! It's like the writer's block left and a flood of ideas came barraling in:)**

Daisylovesu: **Thanks!**

violentyetawesome: **Lucky, I just went back to school. . . Have fun!**

vete: **I hadn't even thought about the Logia users, so you gave me a new idea! Thanks~!**

kenegi: **My translator's a little weird, but when I see Gin I want to say 'guh-in', not 'geeN'. It helps me to spell it the way he does. But I'm glad you pointed it out.**

santa-san: ***hands him over* just have him back in time for the next chapter. *gives new, shinnier hearts***

Miyu the Fangirl: **I like him too! *eyes your plushie***

Loki the Evil Goddess: **Unlikely, but hey this is fanfiction. They might be related and then again, they may not be *shifty eyes***


	17. IMPORTANT AN!

**Hello guys, Dreamer here.**

**I know ya'll are expecting a new chapter, but I'm afraid that this story is at its end. . . because I'm rewriting it! I've already written half-way through chapter three and waiting for the beta'd first chapter to come back. But I won't be taking the story down where you can't read it anymore. It's on Deviant Art under the same name. And Nakamaship will be staying up as well.**

**The story's going to be renamed Gateways: The Red Fate and there's going to be some pretty big changes to it. Like Kim's introduction to the One Piece world, the POV (point of view), Ryuuji and Akako. As for the story plot. . . well, you'll see when the new story comes out.**

**So, put me on your Author Alerts if you want, or I can send you a PM when the new story comes up. Just let me know. Also, you can leave suggestions for the new story in a review or PM. I'm trying to add in new ideas for the story and I want to know what ya'll want to see happening. Pairings, attacks, weapons, OCs. (Note: the OCs won't stick around for the whole story, so no new crew members unless I've made them.)**

**Thanks for taking the time to read this note guys and thank you so very much for all the support that you've given while this story was being written.**

**-Hoping to see you at the new story,**

**Dreamer.**

**And I have an OC template if you want to fill it out.**

* * *

><p>Name: (Please nothing like Princess Moon or Sparkles. I know that the One Piece world has some pretty odd names, but nothing too strange if you will. And no D's. I prefer to leave those guys to Oda-sensei)<p>

Age: (You can leave this as a blank if you want, but a general range would be appreciated)

Gender:

Species: (human, dog, etc.)

Overview: (What they look like, how they talk, general style of dress. And like with the name, nothing too weird please. If they have wings, please let there be an explanation for it. Mutation or Devil Fruit, I don't care.)

Other: (Little stuff that you want known about them.)

And I'd like to know where you want them to come in. If it's a specific arc, let me know, otherwise they won't make it in there.

Remember, not all OCs will make it into the story, so I might put up a poll or something for you guys to vote on. If I can't put them into the story, I'll at least mention them.


End file.
